Project Ice Man
by Epic Bad Ass
Summary: Jason Wolfe is a man way the hell out of his comfort zone; a soldier frozen in the final days of the war and awoken 200 years later in the radioactive hell of DC; He's searching for the man who betrayed him and won't stop until he's found...and dead
1. Session 01: Down the Rabbit Hole

Author's Note:

One of the things I do for my stories is create a playlist to go along with them, you'll find the link for this chapter's playlist on my homepage; just click the link, click play, and let the awesome tuneage flow. This isn't something that's required to enjoy the story, just something that will enhance the whole experience.

This story takes place in the Capital Wasteland 200 years after the bombs fall, but it well also heavily feature flash blacks to the Chinese/American War and what lead to the bombs being dropped in the first place.

**UPDATE:** Because Fanfiction thought it would be cute to remove the page breaks in every single one of my fucking stories I've had to go through every chapter I've written for Project Ice Man and replace them, however while I was doing that I noticed some irritating problems with some of my earlier chapters that needed fixing, now normally my busy schedule does not allow for such trivialities but luckily for you the reader I'm _completely_ broke at the moment. Which in addition to making it difficult to keep myself supplied in beer, lawn darts, and Jonas Brothers posters makes having a social life somewhat _awkward_, so I currently have loads of free time on my hands...yay for me...anywho, having nothing better to do I went ahead and tweaked the writing a bit so that it flows a little better with the rest of the story. Enjoy =D

* * *

May, 2077

Jason hated doctor's offices with a fucking passion having spent all too much time with his ass hanging out the back of a hospital gown while being man handled by some dickhead who he was expected to obey because he had an extra two letters attached to his name. Although Jason had to admit when it came to hospitals he hardly had an unbiased view point.

Whenever he walked down the meticulously white walled halls of Walter Reed Army Medical Center all he could see was the place he had spent a week of his life in the kind of brutal agony that no non-lethal amount of Med-X could put a dent in, where he had undergone multiple reconstructive surgeries, and where he had learned how to walk for the second time in his life.

It was these fond memories that were occupying Jason's thoughts as he waited in the lobby for the doctor who would decide whether he was fit for active duty or a size large straight jacket.

He yawned and cocked his head, taking in his surroundings. As lobbies went this one was no more exciting than any other, a couple of uncomfortable chairs strung together, a desk currently occupied by a not unattractive young receptionist, a coffee table piled high with decade old magazines, and a crappy television in the corner running a news story on the latest insurgent attack in East L.A.. That last feature was mildly surprising; hospitals you see don't generally allow news broadcasts in their waiting rooms, according to an article in the DC Journal of Medicine, Jason had read in a fit of boredom, it tends to depress the hell out of patients.

"Fucking Commies," growled the man sitting next to Jason.

Jason cocked his head to get a look at him and read the markings on the man's dress uniform; he was a Sergeant with the 101st Airborne.

"Not a set of working testicles between all three god damn billion of them; fucking cowards."

Jason sighed, "Fight any war long enough, eventually conscience and morality are just a few more names on the casualty list, at this point...we're all just in it to win it,"

The sergeant turned and stared at Jason, "So some asshole wires a car to blow up outside a government building just as people are getting off work, kills around three dozen civilians, and obliterates most of a city block, but hey that's okay because _we're all in it to win it_? Since when do we stop holding people to the simple fucking standard of human decency just because a war is going on?"

Jason shrugged, "History decides who the heroes and assholes are in every conflict, and eventually it'll get around to judging this one too, so I think I'll just kick back let _it_ try and figure this fucking mess out, because _I_ sure as hell don't know which way is North here. My only hope is that when all is said and done our side well have more heroes than assholes, though honestly at this point that's probably a pretty vain fucking hope."

The sergeant gave Jason a long look, "You're a bit of an odd duck aren't you?"

Jason smirked, "Been called much worse,"

The Sergeant held out his hand, "Benjamin Montgomery; but most people call me Benji."

Jason took the hand, "Jason Wolfe, but most people call me bastard, fucker, or dick. Feel free to take your pick."

Benji's face took on a serious expression, "You're not the same Jason Wolfe who fought at the Hindu Kush are you?"

"I have a common name," replied Jason dryly

Jason really wished the legend of that fucking disaster and his role in it would die a long painful death.

"Captain Wolfe?" called the receptionist in a sweet voice

Jason cocked his head to the girl.

"Doctor Wood will see you now," she said.

"Here we go," muttered Jason rising to his feet

Benji grabbed Jason's sleeve to stop him, "Hey man I'm sorry if I stepped on your toes, I doubt I'd want to talk about it either if I was there; but it should be known that Jason Wolfe wherever whoever he may be is a _god damn hero_."

Jason raised an eyebrow, "You think so?"

Jason grinned, "You might feel differently when history gets a hold of him,"

Benji let go of his sleeve, "We all have things we regret brother, want a little bit of philosophical advice _I_ picked up along the way. Guilt is the mind's way of telling you that you still have a conscience, like you said, not a lot of people do these days, I'd consider it a gift."

Jason laughed, "You ever think about writing for Hallmark?"

"Many times," said Benji with mock seriousness.

Jason shook his head in amusement, "Be seeing you around Sergeant,"

"Stay sharp brother," replied Benji with a grin

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:** - **This my new page break, its a **_**code**_**, and the first one to break it gets to have a character named after them.**

"Well captain I'm going to put it to you blunt; you are a walking talking miracle of divine intervention. There is no way in hell you should have survived those kind of injuries let alone be walking a mere two months after receiving them, that having been said are you _sure_ you want to return to the front lines?"

"Yeah, I'd have to say I'm pretty damn sure Doc; not that I haven't enjoyed sitting around twiddling my thumbs while the army got its ass handed to it in Malaysia. Could be you haven't noticed being _such_ a busy man and all, but this country is fighting for its very survival here, so unless you have an overwhelming desire to discover what life is like under a communist regime I _strongly_ suggest you sign my papers and let me go do my thing."

The doc smiled politely, "You're eager, I'll give you that. Still given how bad things are, and how bad they're going to get, I have to wonder...why you are so determined to throw yourself back into the middle of it."

Jason raised an eyebrow, "Well I just assumed it was my _winning _patriotic attitude, but I'm guessing you have your own ideas on the subject,"

The doctor ignored him, "Post traumatic stress is a _nasty _son of a bitch, it can take good men and turn them into hollowed out husks, it can also give a soldier a full on psychotic urge to die in battle; some may view it as the only way to obtain balance, to avenge fallen comrades, to avenge themselves for the horrors brought on them by war."

Jason smirked, "All due respect Doc, you've seen less combat than a housewife during a sale at the Super Duper Mart, and in any case there's a bit of a difference between my fun loving personality and a case of the Looney Tunes,"

"All due respect _Captain_, but I've reviewed your service record, you've seen more death and violence than any soldier I've ever met, and I've been doing this for more than a few years now. What you experienced ten years ago at the Hindu Kush would _break_ most men I know, but you just keep coming back for more. Over the past seven years you've managed to get yourself involved in all of the war's bloodiest engagements to date, and that last mission you went on, the one that landed you hear in my office was pure fucking suicide and you _damn_ well know it."

"Do I now?" replied Jason dryly

The doctor glared at him, "You are a man with a death wish Captain; you don't belong anywhere near the war, let alone in command of soldiers, soldiers who are depending on _you_ to get them home alive."

Jason sighed; this conversation was going nowhere fast.

"Yeah I get it, I'm more suicidal than a kamikaze pilot flying drunk, blah blah _fucking_ blah, _listen__ up_ dickhead, you aren't even a real doctor, you don't treat injuries, you don't prescribe medication, you don't even have a psychiatry specialization, so you diagnosing me as crazy is like me diagnosing you with leprosy...neither one of us knows what the fuck we're talking about...you're a god damn paper pusher, a bureaucrat, your job, your _only_ fucking job is to certify me fit for duty and say "go get em soldier!" so how about we drop the fucking act, you sign my papers, and we both get on with the rest of our day, _you_ pretending to help people, _me_ packing a bag for Japan, or Borneo, or where ever the hell it is we're fighting now, because honestly? _I_ can't even keep track anymore."

The Doctor waited patiently for Jason to finish his tirade, "You done?"

Jason shrugged, "I sure the hell hope so,"

"Good because _real_ doctor or not. This is the part where I give you a mandatory six month leave of absence and the number of a good psychologist, who you _will_ see or so help me god I will seal you in a padded room not only for your own good but the good of the general population."

Jason laughed, "We're in middle of a god damn world war! You _seriously_ think the Army is going to let you bench a Delta Operator? That is some _awe_ inspiring wishful thinking you got there."

The Doctor smiled, "The _wonders_ of bureaucracy, the army can put in a request to override my medical recommendation, but that will take three months to process, then they will have to produce at least three other doctors to certify you mentally stable, and get a military judge to sign off on an override; that should only take...nine months..."

The Doctor took note of the expression of anger on Jason's face, "Oh and Captain if you decide to go ape shit right now, and beat the living crap out of me, I _guarantee_ you the war will be over before you see active duty again."

Jason stood up, "You know Doc you say you've read my service record, but _clearly_ you weren't paying close enough attention. Whenever an obstacle to one of my missions rears its ugly ass head it gets _fucking obliterated_; loudly, efficiently, and with a _tremendous_ amount of violence. It's what I do, and I do it _extremely well_."

Jason stared the man down, "You really want to make me your enemy? Find out the _sheer_ level of ungodly hell I can rain down on your life?"

The doctor folded his arms, "It's _done_ Captain. I presented my recommendation to the board this morning_._ This meeting is merely a courtesy, coming after me isn't going change anything, and just so you know, you're not the only one here who can make threats."

Jason flashed the man a truly disturbing smile, "Maybe so Doc, but _my_ threats can shoot your ass straight to the top of a couple of _really_ fun Pentagon watch lists, want to see what kind of wrench the boys in black like to throw into the life of a suspected _communist sympathizer_?"

The doctor's face turned an interesting shade of white, "And maybe you're right," continued Jason, "maybe there isn't anything I can do to override your recommendation, but the thing is Doc, when it comes down to it…I'm a _very_ petty person,"

Jason continued to stare down the doctor as the color rapidly drained from his face, "Well, I won't take up anymore of your time, enjoy the rest of your day," said Jason with a smile.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason fought hard to disconnect himself from the seething cauldron of rage that was boiling just beneath the surface; he didn't much like feeling the need to put his fist through every object that crossed his path, but it seemed like that was pretty much his default setting nowadays. He was sorely tempted to make good on his threat to the doctor, and he could do it too, there were a lot of people in the intelligence community that owed him their life, all it would take was one phone call to the right person and the doctor's life would instantly become a living hell, but luckily for him Jason resisted the temptation, although just _barely_.

He supposed that from an outsiders perspective his service record might read like a man hell bent on dying in a blaze of glory, but that record didn't give the whole picture, in his experience no piece of paper ever did. Jason did _not_ have a death wish; he had seen too many friends die young to ever want that for himself; it would be a complete disgrace to their memories, pure and simple.

The reason Jason kept taking on Constantine Chase's suicide missions was because they offered him the greatest opportunity to make a difference in the war; a war he wanted so fucking badly to just be over with, but it seemed that every time an opportunity presented itself to make peace the politicians lit it on fire and took a piss on it for good measure.

It was at the point now that peace was an impossibility; too much blood had been spilled, and too many people were invested in the outcome. It didn't really seem to matter all that much to people that civilization was on a collision course, or that in the process of fighting the enemy America had become the biggest bully on the playground. People just wanted blood for blood and they were sure as hell getting it.

Jason exited the hospital and scanned the parking lot.

"Typical," he muttered

He brought his wrist up to eye level and tapped a few keys on his Pip Boy to check his messages, in the unlikely event she had actually left one.

"Hey Bro! Listen, so I know I was supposed to pick you up after your appointment, but Cherry just called and you'll never guess what! She was the 100th caller for Galaxy News Radio's ticket caller contest! She won two tickets to Geronimo Jackson! And they're playing Boston tonight! *squealing sounds* Anywho, we got to leave now to get there in time so I won't be able to pick you up…sorry, but I hope you still love me anyway and I'll get you a t-shirt! Kay? Bye!"

Jason toyed briefly with the thought of telling her she was adopted from a circus family but since that might actually be a possibility it would probably be best not to mention it. He tapped a few more keys on his Pip Boy and called for a cab then sat down on a bench.

Jason closed his eyes and let the warmth of the sun beat down on him, it was a beautiful day and the birds were singing so the fact that his sister was the world's biggest flake wasn't bothering him as much as it could have been. However the sound of an armored APC pulling up did serve to piss him off a little, seeing as there was only one asshole Jason could think of who would drive an APC onto a hospital parking lot.

"I'm going to make this _real_ easy for you. Whatever you're selling I'm not buying. So how about you take that monument to overcompensation and drive yourself off a fucking cliff," said Jason not opening his eyes.

"Come now Captain, do you _really_ want to piss away ten years of friendship over one regrettable incident that was _neither_ of our fault?" asked a deep voice from within the APC.

Jason gave a dark smirk "Oh it _was_ our fault, don't delude yourself otherwise; and we're not friends, buddies, and or chums, so once again, if you don't mind, kindly fuck off and die," he said opening his eyes, only to find General Constantine Chase staring at him from the back seat of a light APC.

Chase shrugged, "Guess that answers that question. Come on, how about I save you some cab money; hop in, I'll give you a lift,"

Jason briefly considered telling the General to shove it up his ass, but a free ride was a free ride, even if it was coming from a low quality asshole with stars on its shoulders. Jason opened the APC's side door and hopped inside.

He was smart enough to know that he was going to hear what Chase had to say one or the other, so he might as well rip off the band-aid now, "Okay let's hear it," he said tiredly

Chase smirked, "I have a mission for you, but this one is_ different_ than the others...well a hell of a lot more _strange_ anyway."

"What part of _we're fucking done_ didn't you understand? Sure I was coughing up blood at the time, but I'm pretty sure I was speaking English."

Chase frowned, "The Intel was bad, and I take responsibility for that; but we're at war and bad shit happens, I thought you would have realized that by now son."

Jason had a sudden surge in blood pressure.

"Oh I'm _aware_ bad shit happens in war, but there is _bad_ shit, and then there is _your_ shit, and _your_ shit is an _entirely_ different category of fucked up."

"_Careful_ Captain," warned Chase.

Jason snorted, "Or _what?_ What are you going to do to the guy who _literally _knows where all the bodies are buried?"

Chase sighed in exasperation, "Jason I didn't come here to _justify_ myself to you -"

"Oh no?" said Jason cutting him off, "Well that's good, because there _is_ no fucking justification here Chase, no absolution, not for you and sure as hell not for me...how many people do you think I killed when I blew that fucking dam? _At least_ thirty thousand...I wonder…how many of _those_ do you think were children?" asked Jason

Chase shook his head and gave a kind of pained laughter, "What do you want me to tell you Jason? It is what it is."

"Go to hell Chase," replied Jason softly.

"Sooner than you think," replied the General with a sigh.

"Three years," he said matter-of-factly.

Jason turned and glared at him, "Is that supposed to _mean_ something to me?"

"That's a number the government's leading political analysts got together and came up with; the approximate number of years left before Nuclear War between the United States and China."

Jason was quiet for a long time, "Jesus fucking Christ," he whispered at last, running a hand through his hair.

"Whatever our differences Jason, you and I _both_ know that that is an unacceptable outcome, not because it would mean the end of civilization, but because it would mean we have failed them; all the _millions_ of Americans who have given their lives for their country and their comrades. If we allow this to happen then we might as well be pissing on their graves," said Chase, stating exactly what Jason was feeling.

"What _exactly_ is it you need Chase?" demanded Jason

"What I _need_ is for us to _win_ this fucking war! But we can't do that as we are, we need to be better; we need to be faster, stronger, smarter...tell me son...are you familiar with the Forced Evolutionary Virus?"

"I vaguely remember hearing something about it a few years back...wasn't it some sort of science project to make soldiers immune to biological warfare?"

Chase nodded, "Yes, but it turned out to be _so_ much more than we intended,"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason was walking through the Smithsonian, not really paying attention to the exhibits of world history, but instead going over the conversation he had with Chase two hours earlier. In a nut shell, Chase wanted to pump Jason full of nasty green goo with the hope of giving him super powers; that was probably oversimplifying it a little but Jason didn't care; it was the most bat crap insane plan he had ever heard. But as Chase had pointed out they were in the final quarter of the big game and down by 14; it was time to call a Hail Mary. If it worked Jason would be the first of many super soldiers that would rip China three new assholes and bring the war to a safe non-radioactive conclusion. And if it _didn't_ work Jason would become a mutated pile of ugly incapable of spelling his own name.

Jason paused at an exhibit of King Tut that was technically on loan from the Cairo Museum and was supposed to have been returned a few years ago, but since Egypt had pulled out of NATO the United States decided they would hold on to the king for a little while longer. Egypt responded by holding Elvis's leather jacket and guitar hostage when the traveling Rock n' Roll museum came through Alexandria; a king for a king as it were. Unfortunately for Egypt _nobody_ fucks with Elvis; the United States responded by invading and occupying the Port of Alexandria, officially because they needed a strategic asset in the Mediterranean, unofficially because "hands off the jacket asshole!" Basically society had been turned upside down and on its ass by this god damn war, and Jason knew that if there was any chance at all of ending it he had to take it.

"I just _know_ I'm going to regret this," sighed Jason.

He exited the museum and walked along the National Mall for a while, watching the groups of school children running excitedly around the Army recruiters dressed in T-51b Power Armor.

"Sign me up!" Shouted a little girl in pig tails proudly.

"I'm going to kill me some fucking commies!"

"_Anna Marie Smith!_ Watch your language!" shouted a strict looking woman who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Sorry Miss Shapiro," said the little girl, her eyes downcast, but her face still grinning.

The soldiers in power armor chuckled amongst themselves; Jason had to grin a little too.

"I tell you what kiddo," said one of the recruiters, "We'll sign you up as a reservist, you're job is going to be studying hard in school and rooting for the winning team; what do you say? Uncle Sam needs _you_."

"Yes _Sir_!" shouted the girl jumping up and down excitedly.

"Then carry on soldier!" said the recruiter breaking into a salute

The teacher took hold of the little girl's hand and led her away, looking back once to smile at the recruiters in what could _easily_ be misconstrued as a provocative manner.

Jason shook his head smiling. It seemed that all the ladies were digging the uniform nowadays, especially the ones made of titanium and magnesium alloy.

Jason kept walking until he arrived at the Memorial for the 506 Battalion of 62nd Terrain Infantry Division; where all but 10 of the names of the people who served in that unit during the Battle of the Hindu Kush were transcribed on a polished slab of black onyx. Jason hated visiting this giant fucking reminder of the people he had so completely failed to defend, but today he was compelled to see the names of his brothers and sisters again, to force himself to remember their sacrifice and why he would _never_ take it for granted.

"I won't let them destroy everything you died to save; this war _will_ end with me, I promise you that."

Jason ran his hand down the list of names, trying to remember all the faces, but try as he might he couldn't, there were just too damn many.

He sighed and sat down, leaning his back against the monument and stared out at the setting sun. The memorial had been strategically placed to catch the best view of the sunset every single day, there was some piece of symbolism involved in that decision but Jason couldn't really remember what it was and he didn't much care to think about it, but still…

"I think you guys would like the view today," he said quietly

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

"General, are you positive that Captain Wolfe is the best candidate for this procedure; his psychological state can be described as shaky to borderline schizophrenic at best," said an aging man with a German accent.

"_Relax_ Dr. Braun, a man would have to be just a little crazy to even _conside_r undergoing this procedure," replied Chase coolly

Braun shrugged; he'd tried. It wasn't so much that he feared Jason would be a failure; on the contrary he was almost positive the experiment would be a success. What he feared was that it would be _too much_ of a success. Humanity didn't _need_ a savior, it needed to be _wiped clean_, but things would unfold as they would; the human race hardly needed _Braun's_ help to destroy itself.

Braun looked through the observation window where Captain Wolfe was being placed in a cryogenic pod and hooked to multiple intravenous lines.

"Remind me again, why it's necessary for you to _freeze dry_ me as part of this procedure?" asked Jason, wincing as a medical tech placed a line in his foot.

Braun spoke into the PA system, "The FEV burns through the body too fast at room temperature, but if you don't mind having green skin and an inferior mind, then there is still time to change the conditions of the experiment," said Braun dryly.

"You know, Time Magazine was right about you Doc," said Jason

"What? That I'm the smartest man on the planet? Well you'll have to pardon the pun Captain but it doesn't take a genius to figure that out," said Braun impatiently.

"No, I was talking about when they said you were an arrogant self-obsessed jackass with no social skills to speak of," replied Jason.

"Yes, it was a _very_ informative article; we can go over it in greater detail when you wake up if you like but for now its _sleepy _time," said Braun pressing the button that would close the pod and inject sleeping gas and freezing chemicals into the sealed atmosphere.

"Hey wai-!" Jason was cut off as the pod sealed shut

Braun turned to monitor the results of the FEV injection; he should have some idea of the success of the procedure within the next few seconds.

"Ahhhhh, it is too early to say for sure but these preliminary results look promising, _very_ promising indeed; if I had to put money on it I'd say Project Ice Man is going to be a success,"

General Chase watched Jason's Cryo Pod as the windows iced over with a detached expression.

"How long until the FEV has bonded with his cells?"

Braun thought for a few seconds, "A few hours at most, I suppose I should give credit where credit is due, you were right General; Captain Wolfe was indeed the _perfect_ candidate for this procedure, his genetic profile is maybe…one in a _billion_."

A smile spread across Chase's face, "_Good_, have him transported to one of the bunkers under DC; we're going to need him when it comes time to rebuild after the dust settles."

Braun was thoughtful for a short while, "You _do_ realize of course, that when he wakes up to find his world destroyed, his friends and family dead, and that _you_ lied to him...he's going to _kill_ you."

Chase waved him off, "I'm Constantine Chase; I've convinced soldiers to charge the enemy lines outnumbered and outgunned and tear the fucking Reds to shreds. It won't be hard to convince this one I was acting in the country's best interest; and since I actually am the truth will be on my side."

Braun sighed, _and people say _I_ have an ego._

January, 2278

The light that had been blinking blue for over 200 years on Jason Wolfe's Cryo Pod decided the time was right to suddenly switch to a flashing red.

WARNING! LIFE SUPPORT FAILURE IMMANENT! INITIATING EMERGENCY REVIVAL!

The lid of the pod cracked open allowing 200 year old cryogenic chemicals to hiss out in a white vapor.

Jason tried to open his eyes, but found he couldn't remember how to do it and upon coming to that realization found that he couldn't remember anything else either.

_Who am I?_

The question went unanswered for a long time, but eventually a voice in the back of his mind spoke up.

_Jason Wolfe; Captain; United States Army; 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta._

Jason had a name now. With that memories started flooding back to him. Explosions, bombs falling, people dying, his sister stealing his pet rabbit, Mom's Sunday night meatloaf surprise, Jason getting his stomach pumped. It was all coming back to him, memories good and bad, mostly bad; Jason searched for one that would tell him why he was here.

_I'm here to complete a mission._

Jason remembered General Chase's assignment; he was supposed be the first in a new generation of super soldiers.

Jason suddenly remembered how to operate his eye lids.

He opened his eyes and looked around the room he found himself in; it was dark, lit only by red emergency lighting that had come to life around the same time Jason did.

_Something isn't right,_ Jason was pretty fucking sure on that point.

He tried to get out of his pod and wound up sprawled on the floor.

"Okay, time to learn how to walk again…_faaaantasic_," grunted Jason

As soon as he spoke the words his legs got their muscle memory back and he got to his feet.

_That was fast_

That's when Jason remembered the green goo that he had been injected with; he was running a little hotter than the average human now. He stretched his muscles testing them for changes. His body hadn't increased or decreased in size but he felt…_strong_, the kind of strong that could eat a tank for lunch and shit out nuts and bolts around dinner time. He also seemed to be thinking faster, he didn't think he was actually any smarter, it just seemed to be taking him less time to get from a to b.

Jason shook his head now was not the time to be field testing himself, he needed to find out what the fuck was going on.

He checked his surroundings; he was in some sort of storage facility, there were crates all around as well as mothballed military sentry bots.

"Hello! I'm awake! You can come tell me what the _fuck_ is going on now!"

Jason heard the whirl of wheels and looked to see a RoboBrain fast approaching him; it was a little rusty and dinged up but the twin lasers attached to its chest were glowing with deadly intent all the same.

"I am Caretaker of Government Storage Facility 132; this area is restricted, state your name and purpose here."

"Captain Jason Wolfe, United States Army Special Forces; I'm on an assignment from General Constantine Chase, my purpose here is classified; stand down immediately."

RoboBrains were designed to respond to figures of authority, so Jason put on his officer's voice.

"Yes sir! My apologies Captain Wolfe; may I be of assistance to you?"

"Yes, I seem to find myself lost; could you direct me to the nearest exit?"

"Nearest exit, is a vertical shaft that will take you to the surface 200 feet above your head,"

"Lead the way."

Climbing was ridiculously easy for Jason now; he practically flew up the ladder. He was in fact climbing so fast, and was so engrossed in his new strength that he failed to notice the steel cover at the end of the shaft, and was therefore surprised when he rammed his head into it.

"Okay, lesson learned," he said to nobody in particular rubbing his head.

Jason pushed on the steel cover, with one arm, grunting with exertion as he did so, finally after several minutes of effort, it popped open and flew a few feet in the air before coming to a stop someplace out of sight. Daylight flooded the shaft and Jason examined the edges where the cover had been and found out why it was so hard to push off; the fucking thing had been welded on.

Jason couldn't stop the smirk that came to his face and made the rest of the way to the surface where the smile completely vanished from his features.

Jason looked around his surroundings; it was downtown DC, he could still recognize that much. Only it was a little different from the last time he was here eating lunch with his sister; back then there were more buildings standing, the roads were still visible and not buried under layers of debris, and there was no light dust storm blowing through what was left of the streets, illustrating just how completely lifeless the entire place was.

Jason didn't remember falling to his knees, he wasn't even fully aware of the tears dripping down his cheeks. What he was aware of, what he did know beyond a shadow of a doubt, was that he had failed. All those hundreds of thousands of soldiers who had given their lives to make sure that the world kept on spinning had officially, tragically, hilariously died for nothing.

"I guess the war is over now," said Jason in a voice barely above a whisper, _how often did I pray for the war to be over? Well, no one can say God doesn't have a sense of humor._

Jason dug his hands into the dirt and bared his teeth; _they're going to pay for this, every last fucking one of them, I'm going to find them, everyone and anyone who was involved, and I'm going to send them to hell. And I know exactly where I'm going to start…_

"_Chase,"_ stated Jason in a cold, deadly voice that was barely more than a hiss.

"I'm coming for you son of a bitch, do you hear me!"

"CHASE!"

"I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

* * *

Okay so that's chapter numero uno; let me know what you think.


	2. Session 02: Freezer Burn

As usual the playlist for this chapter can be found on my profile page, so, anywho, enjoy the semi-awesome writing and free music =D

* * *

January, 2278

"CARETAKER!" roared Jason storming around the bunker for the damn RoboBrain.

"How may I be of service to you Captain?" asked the RoboBrain rolling towards him.

"What's the date!" demanded Jason

"According to my system clock the date is January 12th 2278,"

Jason backed up so fast he hit the wall, then suddenly not having any energy left in him slid down it and came to a stop on the cold concrete floor.

"200 years," he whispered "200 _fucking_ years."

_Where the hell was the government?_ DC should have been rebuilt a dozen times over by now. It made no sense.

"Caretaker, when was the last time you had contact with a representative of the government?"

"April 3rd 2089; General Constantine Chase; United States Army."

Jason's eyes narrowed; he knew in his gut Chase had survived the nuclear apocalypse; the man had that much in common and more with a cockroach.

"What was his purpose here?"

"He requested access to the facility's mainframe; beyond that I have no further data."

Jason got to his feet, "Take me to the mainframe."

The mainframe as it turned out was, like the rest of facility, powered by a nuclear reactor located in the lower levels; a reactor which according to the Caretaker had been offline for over 50 years. So Jason spent the next eight hours taking apart the reactor's control console and cannibalizing stored Sentry Bots and a Goliath Tank he had found stored along with several other military vehicles. Around hour five the emergency generator that had been powering the lights gave out and Jason spent the next hour smashing a sentry bot to pieces with a wrench while screaming obscenities. Eventually he stumbled into a crate containing T-45 Power Armor and used the headlights from a couple of the helmets to complete his work.

"Captain, are you positive you're qualified to repair a nuclear reactor? I feel I should inform you that if you were to inadvertently breach containment of the plutonium core this entire facility will be atomized."

Jason was really staring to lose patience.

"No, I'm _not_ positive I'm qualified to repair a nuclear reactor, in fact there's a 50/50 chance I'm going to connect the wrong lead and blow away what's left of DC; so unless you have something constructive to say or a degree in mechanical engineering or physics kindly shut the fuck up and let me work." growled Jason as the god damn RoboBrain questioned him for what seemed to be the millionth fucking time.

"Finally!" shouted Jason

The room started shaking as the reactor came back to life. The lights soon followed, and not long after that Jason could hear machines coming to life all across the facility.

Jason walked over and sat down at the mainframe terminal and brought up the records of the last known user. Chase had accessed the facility's database but his search history had been corrupted by a power surge, most likely the reactor going on the fritz before it failed. Jason kept looking and came upon something that caught his eye.

Video File; April 3rd 2089 9:22 PM Atlantic Standard Time

Jason clicked on the icon and General Constantine Chase appeared on the terminal screen; he was older and thinner than Jason remembered and looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"This is General Constantine Chase. Commander of the remnants of the United States Military. I'm leaving this record in the hopes that should I fail someday some poor and hopefully not too mutated bastard will stumble across this place and see it."

Chase gave a long sigh and ran his hands through his hair, "I need people to understand that this wasn't how any of this was supposed to happen; We had a plan in place for when the bombs dropped; we were going to rebuild this country; make it better and stronger than before; free from the threat of war. But _nothing_ happened the way it was supposed to."

"We didn't count on so much of the population surviving the fallout; if you can _call_ it survival. They had become monsters in appearance; ugly bastards. But many had still managed to keep a hold on their humanity; they were still American. The Enclave disagreed; they changed the plan on us; they decided that as long as these monsters roamed the country we would have to put rebuilding on hold while the Army hunted them all down."

Chase's eyes lost focus for a moment and for a while it looked like he was someplace else.

"I hunted them for two years," he continued, "But I couldn't do it anymore; so I took my Army and tried to knock those assholes off their throne."

Chase chuckled darkly, "The Second American Civil War lasted for eighteen months; and for a while it looked like we were going to win...but then the Enclave showed us _exactly_ what caliber of son of a bitch they _really_ were. They dug up the last of country's nuclear arsenal and…well you can imagine the rest."

"The Enclave won and the United States, the _real_ United States, was officially dead. So I took what was left of the armed forces and a nuclear submarine that had survived the war and went in search of civilization someplace else in the world. It doesn't exist. I've been to Europe, the Middle East, Australia, India, Japan, even China; they're all about as well off as we are except for China, who's considerably fucking worse."

"The only places to escape the bombs are the places nobody ever cared about to begin with; Parts of Africa and South America, some islands in the South Pacific, but once the rest of the world was gone those places fell into chaos too; rape, murder, and starvation are the order of the day."

"So we came back, if there's no place left in the world worth running to then why are we running? I tried to get a hold of Braun; his genius would have been an incredible asset but that bastard has come _completely_ unhinged from reality and isn't opening up his Vault anytime soon. And I came here to wake up Captain Wolfe and _beg_ for his help on hands and knees if I needed to, but now that I'm here I know I'm too much of a chicken shit to face him. Besides, he didn't create this fucking mess, _I_ did, and after all he's done he has at least earned the right to sleep through it."

The video file ended.

Jason sat in silence for a couple of minutes processing what he had just heard. Things were a lot more complicated than he had realized; from what he could gather the people who had made up the worst of United States government in his time had survived the bombs; and also just like back in the day they were doing exactly jack shit to help the people. And Chase, that god damn coward threw in his lot with them and when then he got a case of guilty conscience he launched a rebellion, fucked it up, spent the next few years cruising the world, and then came back to wake him up only to realize he forgot to pack his balls. Somehow all that only made Jason want to kill him _more_; unfortunately unless time travel had been invented in the past 200 years he doubted he would have the opportunity.

Jason needed more information; he decided to start with something Chase had said. Jason pulled up the facility's database and typed in **Braun.**

Dr. Stanislaus Braun; Director of Vault-Tec's Societal Preservation Program; Overseer of Vault 112.

Jason brought up the information on Vault 112 and after going over the records for an hour a dark murderous smile spread across Jason's face.

_Well, at least **one** bastard on my list of people who need killing may still be alive._

Jason grabbed the tool box he had used to repair the reactor's control console and made his way to his Cryo Pod. Jason ripped off one of the panels then took out a wrench and wire cutters and went to town removing pieces of machinery and tubing; when he was finally done he reached into the pod and pulled out a clear cylinder containing a green bubbling fluid. Jason carefully wrapped the cylinder in sheets of cloth and placed it in a soldier's pack he had dug out of a crate.

Jason then went about searching the rest of the crates and pulled out a full suit of Army Combat Armor, a military Pip-Boy, a .44 Magnum Revolver, an R91 Assault Rifle, a Scoped Gauss Rifle, a box of plasma grenades, and two combat knives. He thought about grabbing a suit of Power Armor but decided it wouldn't really make any difference given his new found strength and speed.

Once Jason had donned the armor he paused to look at the assortment of vehicles in the storage bunker.

"Caretaker? How did they get all this down here? I'm guessing not through the shaft."

"They brought it in through an entrance hidden in an underground garage; the entrance has been sealed shut however with 10 meter thick blast doors in order to prevent contamination from radiation, sensors also indicate roughly 100 tons of outside pressure being placed on the blast doors."

"You could have just said it was buried, you know." said Jason before he could stop himself.

Despite having a human brain installed as a central processor RoboBrain's operated on machine logic; which meant they gave lengthy scientific answers to all questions and when asked to keep things simple gave a lengthy scientific answer on why lengthy scientific answers were better.

"That-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I gotcha!" snapped Jason cutting it off.

"So basically there's no way of driving any of these vehicles out of here, correct?"

"On the contrary this facility was designed to withstand nuclear warfare and the builders took into account-"

"Yes, _very_ interesting; where's the exit?"

"Very well," replied the Caretaker.

The Caretaker sent out a signal and the wall at the far side of the room slid upward revealing a massive steel room; it took Jason a moment to realize it wasn't actually a room at all, but a steel platform that could easily hold several vehicles.

"When you are ready this platform will take you up to the surface; breaking through whatever lies between it and its destination."

"Just let me pick out a set of wheels," replied Jason

Jason walked through the assortment of vehicles; searching for something that could drive on debris. There was everything from APC's and tanks to Jeeps and motorcycles. He immediately tossed out the ones that had a fuel ignition system; then moved on to the ones that operated on nuclear power, but most of them were too damn large to be of any use for what he had in mind. Finally Jason's eyes came to rest upon something that was shiny, dangerous, and just plain_ beautiful_ to behold. Despite everything that was going through Jason's mind right now he couldn't help but smile.

_"Hover bike,"_ he said simply, and in the kind of voice one typically reserves for seducing a cheerleader.

Hover bikes were still experimental technology at the time Jason was frozen and typically cost more than the Army paid him in ten years; it didn't really make sense that one would be stored in a military bunker but he wasn't about to question his luck.

Jason ran his hands along cool metal; the hover bike was sleek, and about twice the size of a Harley Davidson. And as an added bonus it was made of Titanium A, the same metal used to coat the president's limo.

Jason popped open the engine compartment and checked out the insides; everything appeared to be in working order and the fission battery still had an 85 percent charge so he slid the compartment shut and started it up. The engine purred to life and the bike rose gently into the air.

"Thing of beauty," Jason said simply.

Jason hopped off the bike and stored his pack and all his weapons, except for the gauss rifle which he slung over his back, into the bikes storage compartments. Then as an after thought he grabbed a tool kit and tossed it in with the rest of his stuff.

Jason drove the bike onto the platform and called out to the Caretaker.

"When I leave I want you to activate the sentry bots and keep anyone who isn't me the fuck out of this place,"

Jason knew next to nothing about this fractured world he had found himself in, but he had a hunch it would be a bad idea for people to start coming in here, grabbing guns, and toying around with the nuclear reactor.

"Yes Captain as you wish; shall I activate the platform now?"

"Do it," ordered Jason.

Dust fell from the roof and onto his head as the room started shaking violently; though being on a hover bike while it was happening Jason had the novel experience of feeling nothing as the machinery began groaning and the platform rose to the surface. There was a loud screeching sound as the roof of the platform ripped through the centuries of debris that had fallen on top of it. And finally an explosion of light as the platform broke through.

Jason drove the bike off the platform and as soon as the pressure had been removed from it the platform began sinking back into the ground; coming to a stop after about 25 feet so that the roof of the platform formed a barrier between to outside world and the bunker.

Jason took a look around his surroundings, to say that DC had been bitch slapped by a hail storm of nukes would probably be understating the situation; there were virtually no tall buildings left standing and the road ways were broken, falling apart, and covered with debris.

Jason tapped a few keys on his M1 Pip-Boy and brought up a live satellite feed of the area; the eyes in the sky still seemed to be working at least, but then again they like a few other integral systems were designed to withstand nuclear war and aid in the rebuilding of the country. But it would appear even having taking precautions to survive the bombs humanity _clearly_ still found a way to fuck everything up.

Jason scrolled through the satellite imaging of the area looking for something that could be a town or settlement, he switched to an infra-red view point but instead of highlighting a human settlement the whole map lit up like a Christmas tree.

_Must be the radiation_ Jason decided.

Jason switched back to the standard view point and found a structure that could be a walled settlement. Jason enhanced the view and was able to see buildings and people walking between them.

"As good a place as any," muttered Jason

Jason marked the location and gunned the bike. As the buildings and objects zoomed by him at 40 miles an hour Jason discovered that he could see every single detail as if the world was moving in slow motion and he was on fast forward. This new found ability failed to bring a smile to Jason's face, which seemed to be fixed in a near permanent state of cold homicidal rage. Jason remembered what that dipshit doctor had said about him being crazy.

_Well_ he thought grimly, _if I wasn't back then, I sure as hell am now._

Sane people didn't occupy their free time contemplating new and inventive ways of killing others.

Jason drove for hours, through the wreckage of his civilization, and the more he saw the greater the pain he felt, and the more fuel that was thrown on the storm of hate and anger that was raging inside him. Less than a day ago, at least from his perspective, this had been one of the greatest cities on the planet; the seat of power and authority for the entire western world. Now? It was nothing but a fractured bombed out ruin; a spectre of the past and a loud reminder of what Jason had lost. Everyone he had known was dead, and he couldn't help but wonder how they went. Did they die in the initial blast? Did the fallout get them? Or were they killed by one of those mutated monsters Chase had spoke of? Hell maybe they became those mutated monsters. Jason would never forgive himself for not being there for them in the end; and God damn Chase for taking that away from him; for not letting him die with the rest of his world; for condemning him to live in this twisted perversion of that world where all the sacrifices he had made throughout his life to provide safety and security for the people he loved, where all the dozens of battles he had fought, all the blood he had spilled, all of it, didn't count for a _god damn thing_.

Jason had been keeping a lookout for signs of life, a couple of times he had found what looked like the remnants of camps, but overall it seemed that people almost intentionally avoided the DC ruins. Jason had checked the Pip-Boy's Geiger Counter but the radiation was only about on par with a couple of hours too many in a tanning salon; it wouldn't kill anyone. And he had to imagine that after 200 years people would have evolved somewhat to survive in a slightly radioactive environment. That meant there had to be another reason for avoiding DC, most likely a reason Jason wouldn't want to run into in some dark alley.

Just as night was beginning to fall a cloud of black smoke appeared on the horizon; interest sparked, Jason veered towards it and was about half a mile away when he heard the crack of gunfire.

Jason slowed the bike's speed to a crawl and stopped a short ways away from where he had heard the shots. Quietly, he got off the bike and reached into the storage compartment for his combat knives. He made his way silent as the night itself towards the site of black smoke. When he had found a good vantage point Jason took up position on top of a short hill and looked down at the scene before him.

The smoke was coming from the engine compartment of a damaged dump truck that appeared to have been converted into a cargo hauler. Behind the dump truck were three flatbeds, all sporting bullet holes and all around the damaged vehicles were dead, mutilated bodies. But that wasn't what had Jason's attention. It was the small group of people that had been tied up and thrown to the ground, and the twelve douchebags dressed like some freakish Dominatrix/Viking hybrid who were pointing guns at them and cackling like rabid hyenas that were drawing his gaze.

Jason had a pretty good idea who the bad guys were in this scenario. He tapped his gauss rifle thoughtfully, it would be so easy to blast those goofy bastards into another dimension; but it just wouldn't be as fun as doing the job up close and personal; besides he needed to test out what his new body could do anyway. Jason slung the gauss rifle across his back and pulled out the combat knifes. Then with the stealth and grace given to him by years of working in the highly competitive field of Spec Ops he made his way down the hill.

* * *

Author's Note:

As you may have noticed there are a couple changes to the Capital Wasteland that aren't in the game; I've made the whole place a lot bigger and put some cars on the roads. I did this for a couple of reasons, first of all I didn't want to write about the weeks it takes for Jason to get from one place to another, and second of all I needed to satisfy my own need to incorporate Mad Max style death races into the story.


	3. Session 03: Army of One

READ ME!: Okay a few things you need to know before you start reading; first off this is now an M rated story. The reason it still says T up there in the corner is because, A: I'm to lazy too change it, and B: I didn't want the story to disappear from peoples search engines and for them to take to the streets rioting and setting police cars on fire searching for it, I simply cannot have that on my conscience.

And the other thing you need to know is that you _have_ to listen to the playlist for this chapter while you're reading it, because, well, you'll understand when you click play. Let's just say the way the music has been timed to the writing in this chapter is pure evil genius on my part ;) As usual the link for the playlist can be found on my profile page.

* * *

January, 2278

_God damn motherfucking son of a bitch asshole Raiders!_

Wolfgang was struggling against his bonds; why he had thought surrendering to these lunatics was a good idea he would never know. They had run his caravan into the ground, killed the guards, and shot up his ride so it wasn't exactly like he had other options. Still, death by bullet was still better than death by rape or death by cooking fire depending on which mood these crazy fuckers were in; horny or hungry. He was still holding out hope that this particular group of assholes wasn't entirely bat shit crazy and would just take him and what was left of his caravan to Paradise Falls. Wolfgang still had a few connections with some of the less sociopathic slavers and could probably talk his way to freedom if that was the case.

"So whatcha reckon Cletus?" asked one of the Raiders to the apparent leader of the group holding Wolfgang and his caravan hostage.

Cletus, a fat ugly son of a bitch, but nonetheless built like a god damn tank, looked thoughtful for a while.

"Well let's see…there's some good eating on that one," he said pointing out a heavyset caravaner.

_I fucking told Jimmy to lay off the sugar bombs_; thought Wolfgang irately.

"Those two there ain't too bad on the eyes," Said Cletus, winking at two ladies in the group.

"And the rest oughta fetch a nice price at Paradise Falls," finished Cletus.

_So three for three_, thought Wolfgang, now if he could only manage to keep his mouth shut for a little while longer he would be home free; sadly that just wasn't in the cards.

"Hey Lard Ass, here's a new idea for you; how about instead of eating, raping, and generally doing all manner of unpleasant things to us; instead you go on a diet, go fuck yourself, and find a hobby that doesn't give you the appearance of being a fat, psychotic, dick."

Cletus's face turned an interesting shade of purple.

Wolfgang grinned, "Oh I'm sorry Jumbotron. Did the big bad words confuse you? Allow me to put it in simpler terms for you. How about you-"

The boot came out of nowhere and collided with the side of Wolfgang's head sending him sliding across the jagged rocks that covered the ground.

"Ouch Damnit! Didn't your mama ever teach you to use your words?"

A couple of Raiders grabbed Wolfgang by the shoulders and hauled him to his feet.

"Jesus Christ, and people call _me_ crazy." muttered a Raider.

"Alright shit head," stated Cletus, walking up to Wolfgang.

"Here are your options; Option A, you can die with my cock up your ass, or Option B, you can die on my cooking fire; take your pick."

Wolfgang smiled, "What about Option C?"

Cletus was confused, "Option C?"

Wolfgang flashed a winning grin, "Yeah! You don't know about Option C? Well…allow me to _enlighten_ you."

And with that Wolfgang rammed his forehead hard into Cletus's face shattering his nose and driving fragmented bone into his brain. Cletus crumpled like a sack of potatoes and fell to the ground dead. The entire camp stood in stunned silence for a few seconds until Wolfgang ruined it by opening his trap again.

"Fuck! That fucking hurt!" snapped Wolfgang, wanting to rub his forehead, but his hands were still tied behind his back and the Raiders were still gripping his shoulders. And upon remembering that fact the Raiders tossed him to the ground and proceeded to beat the living crap out of him.

_I just knew it was too much to hope for one of those kill the leader take control of the group type gangs._ Thought Wolfgang grimly in between the kicks and punches.

Wolfgang saw a blur movement out of the corner of his eye, and a man shrouded in darkness suddenly appeared behind one the Raider sentries currently watching Wolfgang getting his ass kicked and not doing his job. The Man's arms appeared around the Raider's head and the bastard crumpled to the ground shortly there after. The Man then proceeded to move on to the next sentry, moving with unnatural silence and speed. The Man approached the sentry and covered the Raider's mouth with one hand and with the other stabbed him in the kidneys, the lungs, and the heart with a combat knife, all within the span of two seconds.

The Man let go of the Raider and he collapsed to ground in a growing pool of his own blood. The last sentry dead and on the ground The Man moved on the group of Raiders who were standing around cheering on the rather one sided fight between Wolfgang and the two Raiders kicking the crap out of him. The Man was now close enough for Wolfgang to see he was about average size, maybe a little taller than most and sporting pre-war combat armor, a strong, muscular build, and a murderous grin that frankly terrified Wolfgang more than the Raiders did.

The Man grabbed one of the Raiders by the head, placing his hands on both sides of the freak show's skull, he twisted, and was rewarded with a sickening _crack._ Before the dead Raider had even hit the ground the Man drew a combat knife and approached another Raider from behind, cutting his throat open spraying blood across all his buddies. The Man then forcefully kicked the dying Raider into his buddies knocking a couple to the ground.

It was at this point that the Raiders realized something was wrong; two went for their assault rifles, The Man seeing this, twirled the combat knives in his hands, testing the balance, then hurled them at the two Raiders. There was an interesting wet crunching sound as the Raiders fell to the ground, the handle of a knife sticking out of each of their foreheads.

The grin The Man gave the five remaining Raiders would have sent a smart person screaming for their mother; unfortunately for the Raiders the word _smart_ didn't enter into their genetic make up. One of the remaining Raiders had managed to get a grip on their hunting rifle and aimed it shakily at The Man who was standing not three feet away watching the Raider fumble around the trigger with a look of cruel amusement on his face. The Man lashed out taking hold of the rifle's barrel, in his surprise the Raider opened fire, but The Man had shifted the direction of the barrel so that it was pointed at the ass of a Raider who was kneeling on the ground desperately trying to grab an assault rifle off his dead buddy's body.

"YEEEOOWWW!" screamed the Raider, jumping a couple feet into the air and clutching his ass like some kind of cartoon character.

The Man ripped the rifle from the Raider's hands, then smashed the butt of the gun into his face, breaking his jaw and driving him to his knees. The Man then flipped the gun in the air catching it with his other hand; he took hold of barrel of the rifle and gripped it like a golf club, and then swung the butt of the rifle into the kneeling Raider's head, snapping the dumb bastard's neck like a dry twig.

The Man dropped the rifle to the ground and turned to face the four remaining Raider's who were beginning to get the impression that they were slightly out of their league in this fight. Fight or Flight response kicking in one of the Raiders came charging at The Man with a board that had a rusty nail sticking out of it. The Man just stood his ground still grinning that same _extremely_ unsettling smile. The Raider swung the board with all his might at The Man's head; unfortunately he needed to be just a _little_ mightier. The Man caught the board in one hand and looked the Raider directly in his eyes, and upon seeing into those orbs of murderous rage the Raider had an _"Oh Shit,"_ moment. Unfortunately the moment came just as The Man's boot connected with his chest, shattering his sternum and driving a rib into his heart.

The Raider The Man had kicked went flying through the air and landed on top of Wolfgang's truck. Wolfgang was forgotten at this point; the two Raiders who had formerly been beating the crap out of him had grabbed their rifles and were opening fire. The Man, nail board still in hand, danced around the Raider's crappy marksmanship, jumping onto an overturned mail box and leaping onto Wolfgang's truck landing next to the twitching body of the former owner of the nail board. From there he made another leap landing behind the shooting Raiders. The Man snapped the board in half over his knee then walked up to the Raiders who were too busy pissing their pants to line up a proper shot. The Man then proceeded to play whack-a-mole with the Raiders' screaming bodies for a full six seconds before the sorry assholes stopped emitting noise.

The Man dropped the bloodied pieces of ply wood to the ground and walked over to Raider with the bleeding ass who was trying to crawl away from the carnage.

"You know," said The Man speaking for the first time as he approached the Raider who was now trying to crawl faster.

"Under normal circumstances it would _disturb_ me how much I'm enjoying myself right now," said The Man thoughtfully.

The Man suddenly broke out laughing, "But hey! _Nothing _is normal anymore! So…I guess I _really_ don't give a fuck!" said The Man, filling the area with demented laughter.

The Raider started sobbing as The Man got closer.

"This _really_ isn't a good day to be you is it?" asked The Man, coming to a stop next to the Raider, and placing a boot on the pathetic creature's head.

"Please! _Please!_ Don't!" screamed the Raider.

The Man shrugged his shoulders, "Like I said; _bad_ day to be you."

The Man slowly increased the pressure on the Raider's head until there was a loud _crack_ followed by a wet _squish_ and the screaming stopped.

The Man then walked over to the two Raider's who had his combat knifes sticking out of their foreheads and pulled them out; using one of their shirts to clean the blades of brain matter. Following that The Man walked over to where the caravaners were tied up and watching his approach with absolute terror at the thought of what he might do next.

The Man knelt next to where Wolfgang was on the ground, groaning, and coughing up blood.

"I heard what you said to Chief Jackass; it _tickled_ me a little, you got some heavy balls standing up to those hillbillies.," said The Man in a deadpan voice, cutting Wolfgang's bonds.

The Man addressed the rest of the caravanners, "You folks alright?" he asked.

The group was still in a deep state of shock over The Man's somewhat epic entrance but they still managed to nod their heads.

"I'll be with you momentarily," said The Man.

The Man helped roll Wolfgang into a sitting position then unhooked a canteen from his waist and tipped some water into Wolfgang's mouth. Wolfgang coughed and spluttered up most of it but was still grateful for every drop he managed to keep down.

The Man analyzed Wolfgang's injuries with the eye of someone who had seen a lot of bloodshed in his lifetime.

"You're fucked up, but you'll live. I can treat these injuries myself but it might be better if you get a doc to set the broken bones instead; as it will decrease the chances of them healing wrong and you gaining a freakish appearance," said the Man in a calculating voice.

The Man turned to the rest of the tied up caravaners, "Is there a doctor in the house?" he asked.

One of the caravaners, one of the women who had caught Cletus's eye, spoke up, "Yes, _me_."

The Man walked up to her and cut her bonds, she then rushed over to Wolfgang while The Man proceeded to free the others.

The doctor had pulled a medical kit from the cab of one of the shot up trucks and went to work treating Wolfgang's wounds. Once Wolfgang felt like he could speak without passing out he turned his head so that he faced The Man and asked the question he wanted to know the answer to more than he had ever wanted to know the answer to anything in his life.

"Who the fuck _are_ you?"

The Man chuckled, but this time it wasn't so maniacal.

"Captain Jason Wolfe; United States Army Special Forces."

"Though given the current state of things I suppose you can call me…an Army of _One_." said Jason, smirking darkly.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

A couple of the male caravaners were standing around Jason's hover bike, polishing the metal with a rag and looking at the piece of technology with worshipful eyes. The display of man on machine love made Jason feel a little more at home in the world; it was exactly how the guys in Jason's old unit would have reacted had he drove the bike on base to show it off.

Nobody spoke to Jason as he ate his dinner; a large juicy brahmin steak and a tall mug of beer the grateful caravaners had cooked up for him. The steak tasted just like the cows back home, except maybe a bit more lean and stringy, but that was actually to Jason's liking. The beer on the other hand tasted like fermented rat piss, but beer was beer so he drank it down anyway. Jason finished up his steak and put his plate and mug down on the ground and let out a contented sigh; it was good to eat food again after a 200 year diet of cryogenic chemicals and FEV.

"I realize you may have a few questions for me, I have some for you too. So how about we get down to business." Deadpanned Jason to the group seated around him.

"What's the political situation out here? Who's in charge?"

Wolfgang actually laughed out loud at that question, "Well as to who's in charge there is a couple of opinions on that matter; everyone likes to think they're King of the Wastes, but in truth it's pure fucking anarchy. And the political situation? Well that's a little complicated but I'll try and make it simple anyway. On one hand you have the settlements; places like Canterbury Commons, Megaton, Rivet City, and Black Water, there are more but we're trying to keep it simple. The settlements provide pockets of security and shelter from asshole Raiders, Slavers, and Super Mutants."

"You also have the Caravan Traders such as myself; we try to make sure the settlements keep stocked up on supplies, like medicine, food, and ammo to shoot holes in any bastard who tries to take it. A job that gets increasingly harder every year thanks to the booming Raider population,"

"Next up are the Raiders themselves; crazy fucking assholes who want nothing more that to steal your shit, kill you, and generally just make your life plain fucking miserable."

"After that you got the Slavers. Now what can I say about _these_ colossal jackasses? Basically they'll slap a collar on anything that moves and sell the poor dumb son of a bitch to the next asshole who comes along."

"But when all is said and done there are really only two major players out here in the Capital Wasteland. The Brotherhood of Steel who spend their time shooting Super Mutants, Raiders, and Eden's Bastards in the ass and providing fresh clean water to the Wasteland; a bunch of god damn heroes in my book. The other major power is the Enclave; no one really knows a whole hell of a lot about them, but they're lead by some psychopath calling himself _"President"_ John Henry Eden, and they have access to the most advanced technology anyone out here has ever seen."

Jason's eyes narrowed; so the Enclave was still around huh? _Guess Chase wasn't able to clean up his fucking mess after all._ But then Jason relaxed and a smile spread across his face. _No big deal really, just means more people I get to add to my list._

Wolfgang decided it was his turn to ask a question, "When you say you're with the United States Army you mean..."

"I mean I was frozen in the year 2077, and woke up about 20 hours ago to find that my world had been destroyed, all the people I care about are dead, and that I was betrayed by the same son of a bitch who promised me we were going to stop all _this_," Jason gestured to the crumbling ruins that surrounded them, "from happening."

Wolfgang was contemplative; on a normal day he would have written the man off as a Loony Toon; but what the fuck about this day was normal?

"How did you do what you did to those Raiders? I've never seen a fight like that in my life,"

Jason waved a hand dismissively, "Years of taking my daily vitamins and a _lot_ of practice killing much braver, better trained, and more disciplined opponents."

Jason didn't feel the man needed to know what exactly was in those vitamins so he didn't elaborate any further.

"Two more questions; where can I find the Enclave, and have you ever heard of Vault 112?"

"There are Enclave outposts all over the Capital Wasteland and I've even heard about an entire base full of those bastards somewhere in the mountains west of DC. But what the hell is Vault 112? The only Vaults I know of out here are Vault 101 and Vault 77. Vault 101 is run by some girl named Amata; and the people there only recently opened up trade with the Wasteland so I don't know a lot about the place. And Vault 77 is run by a bunch of scientists who stumbled across the place a few years back, weirdly enough when they found it was empty and abandoned, except for a crate of puppets of all fucking things."

"That answers all my questions for now," said Jason politely.

If no one had heard of Vault 112 then chances were Braun was still down there just _waiting_ for Jason to pay him a visit.

Wolfgang still had one question left that had been nagging at him for a while now.

"Why did you do it? Why did you save us?"

Jason raised an eyebrow, a little taken back by the question; truth was he hadn't really thought about it he just acted on instinct. With twelve years in the military and combat on five continents you see a lot of dead civilians; and once you see the burnt mutilated bodies of a dozen or so kids laying in the ruins of a bombed out elementary school, unless you're a complete psychopath, the instinct to protect innocent people in danger becomes second nature pretty damn quickly. Of course that's not really not the kind of thing you can explain to anyone, so Jason was still at a loss as to how to answer the question.

"Call it a hobby, some people knit sweaters, others jog, I save irritating assholes who ask too many questions," replied Jason dryly.

Wolfgang laughed out loud, "Fair enough, this is me fucking off," said Wolfgang holding up his hands.

"Hey! I got a signal!" shouted one of the caravaners who had been working on repairing a radio that had taken a bullet during the fight.

"This is _Three Dog_! Bow Wow Wow! Broadcasting _live_ from the ruins of DC bringing you the news and telling it to you like it is! And now children! Music!"

"Iiiiii don't want to set the woorld on fiiire…."

Jason groaned, "Jesus I hate that song, my Grams used to play this shit non-stop when I was a kid."

Wolfgang grinned, "I thought this was cutting edge back in your day?"

Jason shook his head, "Maybe for some people, the ones caught in 1950's comeback trend. I was always more into the underground scene; rock n' roll, blues, jazz. My sister on the other hand had a _huge_ fetish for this crap, this and folk music, don't even get me started on how many times I was forced to listen to Geronimo _fucking_ Jackson growing up."

Jason suddenly realized he had spoken of his sister in the past tense without even realizing it; she was dead now along with everyone else he had ever known. Suddenly his irritating big sister didn't seem so irritating anymore; in fact right now, he'd give anything to go back in time and have one last conversation with her, he'd left a message on her voice mail before he went under, telling her that he loved her and he'd see her soon…he really hoped she listened to it…even if the last part had been the mother of all lies…

Everyone was quiet as the song finished up.

"I should probably be getting to bed," said Jason quietly standing up.

Jason walked over to where the caravaners had set up a tent for him, "Wake me up if something needs killing," he shouted over his shoulder.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason tried to close his eyes and get some sleep but whenever his eyes got close to closing he heard the shuffling of rocks a quarter mile away from camp and reached for his Magnum; which he decided that in this Brave New World would always have be within arm's reach. His new and improved hearing was turning out to be a real bitch, Jason had been resting his head on the pillow and listening to the scampering and breathing of animals both small and large that had come out of their burrows to hunt. The unwanted soundtrack was starting to piss him off, he continually heard the squeals of animals caught in the jaws of something higher up the food chain, and at one point was even forced to listen to some weird ass honking mating call about a mile away for the better part of an hour, in fact Jason had just resolved to track down and murder the creature when it finally stopped. The end result of all this background noise was to put Jason in a permanent state of edginess.

He was so engrossed in the task of trying to shut his brain up that he almost didn't sense the approach of one of the women in the group; at least he assumed it was a woman the footsteps were too light to be anything else. The entrance of his tent peeled back and the pretty doctor who had patched up Wolfgang slipped inside. She was very attractive even by Jason's admittedly high standards; she had flowing red hair, gorgeous eyes, and a few other features that Jason was sure had all the men in the caravan lusting after her.

Jason raised an eyebrow, "Need something Doc?"

The woman smiled, "Call me Jessie," she said softly.

Jason smiled back politely, "Okay, _Jessie_, is there something I can help you with?"

Jessie cocked her head to the side for a moment and looked thoughtful, "Well now that you mention it…"

Jessie pulled her shirt over her head revealing the second most beautiful sight Jason had seen all day; after the hover bike.

Jessie fell on top of Jason grabbing a hold of his head with one hand and pushing her tongue into his mouth…after a while she pulled back smiling.

"Were you chewing watermelon gum a little earlier?" asked Jason curiously.

Jessie rolled her eyes, _I take off my shirt and throw myself on top of him, and that's all he has to say?_

"Guilty as charged," she winked at him.

"I _thought_ you might have been," said Jason casually.

Jessie leaned into his ear

"Want another taste?" she asked nipping at him.

Jason smiled, "I appreciate the offer Doc, _really_ I do…but I'm going to have to decline"

_Will _this_ is something new,_ thought the doctor.

Jessie burst out laughing, "Wait a minute, allow me to see if I'm interpreting this situation correctly…_you_ are turning _me_ down?"

"As little sense as that might make; that _is_ the case," replied Jason.

Jessie rolled into a sitting position, "Well well Cowboy, I _do_ believe you're in danger of damaging a girl's ego," she said lightly.

Jason grinned in spite himself, "Something tells me you'll bounce back,"

The doctor smiled down at him, "It's too bad…you're _really_ not like anyone I've ever met before."

"Well, Mama always said I was special," replied Jason.

Jessie laughed, "Oh you're definitely…_'special'_ Cowboy,"

Jessie leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, "I wanted to express my gratitude in a much more…_gratifying_ way, but seeing as how you're not in the mood…will you take a thank you and a kiss goodnight instead?"

Jason smiled, "Gladly, but you don't have to thank me; I needed to let off some steam and apparently Raiders make for a good outlet around here."

"So do I; you should have saved a little steam for _me_," said Jessie.

Jason smiled, "Maybe next time," he said mildly.

Jessie snorted, "Wow _awkward_," she said, rising to her feet.

"Well…not for me," replied Jason, with a grin.

Jessie kicked him and he gave an exaggerated groan.

"Night Cowboy," she said pulling her shirt back on.

"Night Doc," replied Jason watching her leave.

_I may just come to regret that, _he thought with some dejection.

Jason closed his eyes and a few minutes later he fell into a deep sleep, dreams of mushroom clouds, lifeless cities, and dead friends, dancing through his head.

* * *

Author's Note:

Okay a few things I should probably explain. First off for the purpose of this story Raven Rock and John Henry Eden are still alive and kicking; that's because John Henry Eden is quite frankly too awesome and chilling a character for me to _not_ have him in this story; and since he's attached to Raven Rock they're sort of a package deal. Secondly, Jason is _not_ gay despite all outward appearances, he's just severely damaged goods and murdering everyone on his list of people to kill is a bigger priority for him right now than sex; I know, _twisted_ right? Oh and this might come as a shocker to some but the Wolfgang in this chapter is Crazy Wolfgang from the game. I just felt that if a man is going to be crazy it should show in his actions and not his name. The same holds true of bad assery; the people who call themselves bad asses are as a rule _NOT_ bad asses, though obviously I am the exception that proves this rule ;)


	4. Session 04: You Can't Go Home Again

This is one of the flashback chapters that will delve into Jason's past. As usual the playlist for this chapter can be found on my profile page, no need to listen to it, but you are most definitely missing out if you don't.

* * *

June, 2065

The group of teenagers were sitting on the hood of their cars, watching as the truck came flying over the hill like some bat out of hell. Time seemed to slow down for those few seconds it took for the truck to touch back down on the ground, as it did so the driver pulled the hand brake and sent the truck into a spin, kicking up mud in every direction and redecorating the teenagers and the cars they were sitting on. The truck slid to a stop next to the cars; the front end facing the hill it had just come off of. The windows rolled down and filling the dirt clearing with loud rock music.

The driver leaned his head out the window and addressed one of the mud splattered girls, "looking good sugar," he winked.

The girl flipped him the finger and the driver laughed.

"Hey Jason! Where the hell is Johnny?" asked one of the guys, reaching into a cooler and tossing the driver a beer.

Jason caught the bottle and popped the cap, "Johnny's gonna be a while, he thought he could cut me off by taking a shortcut through the forest; last I saw him he had a branch through his windshield and was screaming something about his parents murdering him and burying the body in the garden."

A couple of people choked on their beer, coughing it up laughing.

"Oh Johnny, Johnny, Johnny," lamented one of the gang, shaking their head.

Jason raised his bottle into the air, "Senior Year!" he shouted "We kicked its fucking ass!"

The group all responded with a resounding, "WOOOO!"

Jason took deep drink from his bottle allowing the rich amber liquid to warm a path down his throat.

"Alright, Alright! Everyone shut the hell up!" shouted of the guys signaling the gang to be quiet.

The young man raised his bottle into the air "Here's to Jason! Craziest bastard you'll ever meet, and also the best friend a guy could ask for; good luck at Columbia buddy,"

The group gave another woo, and Jason grinned, he was a little embarrassed by the public display of man love, but it was graduation so he let it slide.

"Thanks Bro," he said.

"You're _welcome_, and one more thing, when you graduate and become some big balls high powered lawyer just remember to throw a few pro-bono cases this way, because I'm pretty damn positive _some_ people in this group are gonna be needing the get out of jail free cards."

Jason laughed but was cut off from retorting by the blaring sirens of approaching police cars.

"Sooner rather than later apparently," cursed the guy.

"In the cars! NOW!"

Some of the gang jumped into the back of Jason's truck and pounded on the roof of the cab.

"Get us the hell out of here!"

Jason spun the wheels and took off for the back gate of the quarry; praying to God the cops hadn't already sent a patrol car to catch any escaping trespassers. He really didn't feel like taking any shit from his mom about jeopardizing his place at an Ivy League school and giving his father's political opponents yet _more_ ammo to throw at him.

"Shit!"

Sure enough a police cruiser was waiting for Jason right as he came around the bend. Jason slammed on brakes and proceeded to bang his head on the steering wheel.

"What the hell are you doing? KEEP GOING!" shouted one of the guys in the back.

"Are you fucking retarded!" snapped Jason.

"I'm not getting into a high speed chase; besides if the police have to come get you they generally bring an ass whooping along with them."

Jason turned to face the group in the back of his truck, "As your future lawyer I strongly advise all of you to shut the fuck up and let me do the talking."

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Marcus Wolfe had been listening to the Russian Ambassador rant for the past half an hour straight on how his country was being screwed out of the world's remaining pockets of oil and how the United States and the European Commonwealth were a bunch greedy self serving bastards who deserved to be nuked back to the stone age. The room and its 130 occupants were both getting hotter as the man's ranting continued to degenerate into a long "fuck you" speech. Marcus decided he should try to head it off before the room turned into World War 3.

Marcus rose from his seat, "Forgive me, honorable ambassador for this interruption, but I believe you have touched on an issue very close to home for everyone in the room, if it is alright with you I would like to take a few moments to address it." he said speaking into his microphone.

The Russian Ambassador nodded his head, slightly annoyed for having been derailed mid rant.

Marcus nodded his thanks then addressed the rest of the room, "Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow representatives of humanity; I _know_ things are bad for everyone in this room. The riots, the famine, the wars, the energy shortages; they are _tearing our civilization apart_. And I _know_ that it seems like things are only headed downhill from here, and that the only way to salvage anything for your respective countries is to take it now before someone else can beat you to it. But that is _not_ a workable solution, and I'm pretty damn sure _everyone _in this room knows it."

Marcus sighed, "People, humanity is sitting on the brink and the right push can send us all tumbling over the edge and into darkness."

Marcus paused for a few seconds to gather his thoughts, "We've all heard the talk of disbanding the United Nations, so let's not waste the energy pretending we haven't."

A storm of muttering spread throughout the room, but Marcus raised his hands and waited for things to calm down again.

"At times like this, even though it may be difficult, the only way for humanity to survive as a species worth saving _is to work together._ Because together, and I do not exaggerate, there is _nothing _we cannot accomplish. The combined brain power in this room alone can work miracles, I know this because I have _seen_ it, time and again. When a ruthless dictator starts committing mass murder, who is there to knock his ass off the throne? When a country is dying of starvation, who is there to organize food shipments? When a plague is spreading through an entire continent, who is there waiting and ready to hand out the vaccines?"

"All the problems we have today we've had before, the only difference between now and then, is that now we're actually considering rolling over and giving up,"

Marcus let his words resonate with the room for a few seconds before he continued, "Well fuck that," he said, saying the F word on a live UN broadcast for the first time in history.

If the world wasn't paying attention before it sure as Hell was now.

"WE WILL _NOT_ GIVE UP! NOT _NOW_ NOT _EVER_!" He roared into his microphone.

"And if some politician wants to disband us, he's gonna be doing it over my _cold…dead…body_, because as long I'm breathing, I'm not going _anywhere_, and _neither_ is anyone else!"

The room erupted into cheers and applause and in that moment, the next American Hero was born.

Two men were standing on a balcony watching as the man finished his speech.

"You know Chase, I do believe that man is going to be a problem for us," said one of the two men, a man dressed in a black suit.

Colonel Constantine Chase shook his head, "Marcus and I served together for two years in Korea; he _bleeds_ red white and blue."

The Man in Black smirked, "Then I would get a handle on him, and quick, because if not…well, you know how that story ends," said the man walking away.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason sat waiting in the jail cell for the better part of three hours before his mother had decided he had "sweated enough" and came to bail him out and take him home. She then preceded to silent treatment his ass into the ground for the 45 minutes it took for them to get from the police station to the house. Upon rolling up the driveway however she switched up her tactics and Jason felt the sting of a surprisingly strong slap on the back of his head.

"I'm sorry; did I mistakenly raise you to become the World's Smartest Dumbass?" she demanded, in her South Boston accent.

"No, Ma," muttered Jason.

"You're sure now?" asked his mother, "Because it seems to me that a kid who was smart enough to get into Columbia, yet dumb enough to risk screwing it all up with street racing and criminal trespassing, would in fact be the _World's Smartest Dumbass_."

"Ma! The guys and I were just having a little fun; everyone is making it into some big fucking deal!"

Jason felt another sting on the back of his head, this one considerably more painful; his mother had a God given talent for slapping the shit out of him.

"Watch you're god damn mouth!" she warned.

Jason and his mom sat in silence for the next few minutes, from the look of fury on his mother's face Jason assumed she was contemplating child murder. Finally she relaxed enough to wave him inside. Jason couldn't get out of the car fast enough.

Walking through the front door however, he found his older sister waiting for him with a triumphant grin on her face. Jason dearly wished NYU would have kept her for the summer; he would have even paid them if that was what it took.

"Well goodness me! I'm in the presence of the nation's most notorious outlaw! Please Mr. Bad Ass Criminal, _please_, don't hurt me!" exclaimed his sister in a mock distressed tone.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't want to risk further brain damage," replied Jason walking into the kitchen.

Jason opened up the fridge and looked for something to eat, all that was in there was Mom's Meatloaf Surprise; a dish which lead to him being hospitalized when he was eight. Jason assumed his mom decided to cook it up again to punish him further. He closed the fridge, deciding he would rather go to bed hungry.

Before he could take three steps toward his room however he heard the sound of another car pulling into the driveway and couldn't stop himself from groaning as his dad walked through the front door.

Marcus hung his coat and hat on the hook by the door then turned to face his son.

"So," he said, "I guess we need to talk,"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Marcus had just wrapped up an hour long shouting match with his son and now frankly was in need of a _very_ strong drink.

"What a fucking day," he grumbled walking over to his liquor cabinet and pulling out a bottle of Jim Beam Black. Marcus grabbed a glass from the top shelf and poured a healthy amount of the dark liquid into it, then sat down in his chair and sipped at the drink while trying to figure out when exactly his life had become so god damn complicated.

He wasn't really all that upset with Jason; well sure he was pissed off, and had even thought about strangling the kid a couple times on the way home after his wife had called and told him the _wonderful_ news. But he was a kid and kids fucked up; it was the only way they learned anything meaningful from life. Marcus just needed Jason to believe that he would violently murder him if he ever tried anything that stupid again, else the _meaningful lesson_ would get a whole lot less _meaningful_.

And while Jason would always be _his_ kid, Marcus wouldn't be able to call him one for much longer. Jason was entering that period of his life where he was transitioning from moody pain in the ass teenager to a full grown _man_, and his decisions in these next few years would shape the kind of man he would become.

But unlike most every other parent on the planet Marcus wasn't worried about how his son would turn out; Jason was intelligent, charismatic, and above all had a good heart. Whatever he ultimately decided to do with his life Marcus knew his son would make him proud. Now his daughter _Tanya_ on the other hand…well let's just says Marcus hadn't had an honest to god goodnight's sleep since that girl turned 15.

Marcus took another sip from his drink. The news would be running the story of Marcus's outburst at the UN summit right about now and by morning he would be the latest 15 minute celebrity, though if he couldn't stop the United Nations from disbanding he would be forgotten before the month was out. When the President had selected Marcus as the next United States Ambassador to the UN he had assumed Marcus would just sit quietly in the corner while the government did everything it could to dismantle the last, best, hope for humanity; he was dead fucking wrong.

If the government wanted to start invading every country that didn't bow down to them quickly enough then they would have to go through the world courts to do it. Some people thought that made him a traitor, but those people could fuck off and die. He _loved_ his country and he wasn't about to let it become the next bully on the international playground.

There was a knock at the door forcing Marcus to sigh and put his drink down in order to go answer it.

An old face was standing on Marcus's porch when he looked through the eye hole to find out who had disturbed his brooding.

"_Chase?"_ asked Marcus in total surprise as he opened the door.

"Hello Marcus," said Chase in his gruff voice

Marcus laughed, "Jesus, what's it been? Five? Six years?"

"About that," replied Chase in the same gruff deadpan voice.

"Still the same humorless son of a bitch as always I see," said Marcus with a smirk, "Come on in I'll pour you a drink,"

Chase stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

"Single malt scotch, aged 12 years if I remember correctly," said Marcus heading over to his liquor cabinet

"What can I say I'm a creature of habit," replied Chase with a smile.

"Can't stand the shit myself, too smooth, no real taste or texture to it. Bourbon on the other hand, now there's a man's drink," said Marcus picking up the bottle of Jim Beam and filling another glass.

"Rich, smokey, and best of all made in America, figure a right wing lunatic like you ought to appreciate that," said Marcus handing Chase the glass.

Chase took the glass, "I like what I like. I also drive a BMW if you want to give me shit about that too."

Marcus laughed, "Take a seat," he said gesturing towards the sitting room.

Chase and Marcus sat down and sipped their drinks for a while before talking.

"So why the late night visit?" asked Marcus swirling the contents of his drink, "Not that I don't already know of course, I just want to hear you say it aloud,"

Chase raised an eyebrow, "An old friend decides to pay you a visit out of the blue and you suspect an ulterior motive? Glad to see old age hasn't left you suspicious and paranoid."

Marcus grinned, "Fuck you too, now how about you tell me what you're doing here while I'm still sober," said Marcus, eyeing the diminishing amount of whiskey in his glass.

Chase chuckled, "Fine, you caught me; the higher ups sent me down here to try and do a little suicide prevention; you know, before you completely set your career on fire and run into the ground."

Marcus smiled, "I'm touched," he said, taking another drink from his glass, sobriety was starting to become a lot less appealing.

Chase sighed, "Come on Marcus, what the hell are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that given the fact that humanity sets on the god damned precipice of Armageddon now might not be the best time to be disbanding the only organization in the world that can keep the mushroom clouds from springing up."

Chase raised an eyebrow, "Don't you think you're being a little melodramatic?"

Marcus smiled back politely, "Chase, I'm not an idiot, so don't treat me like one; it makes you look like a jackass."

Chase nodded, "Fair enough, so allow me to ask you a question person who is _not_ an idiot."

"Go right ahead person who is _still_ a jackass," replied Marcus casually.

"If we don't get our hands on some oil, then how do you expect to keep the lights on, the factories operating, and the American people employed?"

Marcus sighed, "You and I both know that the technology is only six or seven years away at most, and if we cut back on the oil and work with the global community we could probably cut that time frame in half."

"_Jesus Christ_ you're naïve you know that!" snapped Chase.

"What you're talking about is impossible! No one will _ever_ work together! If we don't go for the oil now someone else will just beat us to it! And then we'll _really_ be fucked."

"You know," replied Marcus, "Traditionally speaking war is supposed to be an option of last resort, as in not something you engage in just because you don't like what the other guy is saying. So far that's all it is, _talk_, you start invading people it becomes something else entirely"

"Then learn to adapt! Traditions change overtime; you think the other sides aren't tired of talking too? The war is coming Marcus, all the _talk_ in the world isn't going to change that, only question left is whose going to land the first blow."

Marcus gave Chase a cold smile, "You need to think Chase, think real long and hard about where that road is going to end,"

"I have," stated Chase grimly.

"THEN THINK AGAIN!" roared Marcus slamming his glass down on the table.

"Because I can _guarantee_ that if you start down this path it's not going to be some fairy tale ending at the end of the road, it's going to be a fucking horror show, the only saving grace being, there probably won't be many people left alive to see it,"

Chase and Marcus stared at each other for a long time.

"I'm never going to convince you to see reason am I?" asked Chase softly.

"Not _your_ version of reason, no" replied Marcus, picking up his glass again.

Chase sighed and ran his hands through his hair, "Yeah, well I wish to God I could."

"Goodbye Marcus," said Chase, heading for the door.

"See you around Chase," Marcus called after him.

Chase exited Marcus's house in a state of deep depression; he hadn't wanted it to go this way and the thought of what he had to do now made him sick to his stomach, but Marcus had made it clear he would not be moved, and the man stood between the United States and its need to survive. Marcus _had_ to know _somewhere_ in the back of his mind how that story would end.

Chase opened the door of the car that had been waiting for him outside the house and slipped into the passenger seat.

"Did you talk some sense into your old friend?" asked the Man in Black, who was sitting behind the wheel.

"Marcus believes in his gut that his stance is the right one; nothing I say is going to make him budge."

"Well, you know what has to be done then. If you want I can put together the op myself, there's no need for you to see the rest of this through."

"No," stated Chase firmly, "Murder is murder. My conscience isn't going to be clear on this no matter who pulls the trigger. So I might as well make sure this gets done the right way."

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Marcus and his wife were laughing as they left the restaurant.

"So the guy says to the bartender, he still eats everything in sight but ever since he ate that damn cue ball he measures everything first!" finished Marcus, delivering the punch line.

His wife, Angie, snorted with laughter as she climbed into the passenger seat of the car.

"The Ambassador for Germany told me that one, believe it or not," laughed Marcus putting the keys in the ignition.

"You and your work buddies," winked Angie.

Marcus grinned, "It's good to get out once and a while isn't it? And to think once Jason leaves for college we'll have that entire house all to ourselves…_whatever_ will we do?" grinned Marcus.

His wife punched him lightly on the shoulder, "Don't be getting ahead of yourself buddy,"

Marcus chuckled as he took the car out of park, "Jee and here I thought the whole reason you locked this Lone Wolfe down was so that you could ravage me at will,"

Angie burst out laughing, "Yeah, I locked _you_ down; I must have just imagined the three months of you showing up at the hospital with roses, attempting to wear me down enough to go on a date with you."

"Whatever you say dear,"

Angie hit him again, this time not so playfully.

Marcus put an arm around her shoulders, "Nah, I _know_ I married up, I just try to downplay it because you know, my ego is so delicate and all"

"_Smooth_ recovery,"

"I _know_," said Marcus cockily.

Angie laughed, "Are you actively trying to prevent getting laid tonight?"

"I'm banking a lot on my animal magnetism," explained Marcus.

"And that's strike three, thanks for playing, and enjoy the cold shower when we get home," replied his wife coldly.

"Oh come on! That was funny!"

Angie gave him a long look, "Well, I suppose I could take pity on you, but it's going to take a lot of groveling."

Marcus knew Angie was setting him up but he couldn't resist.

"Jee Angie I never knew you were in to that sort of thing," he winked.

Angie smiled, "On second thought try again tomorrow."

Marcus groaned.

"You know technically speaking midnight is tomorrow,"

Angie smirked, "Not by _my_ definition."

_I _really_ need to learn to keep my mouth shut_, thought Marcus.

Marcus's next comment was derailed as he entered the next intersection and a truck came out of nowhere, slamming into the side of his car and sending it into a wild spin that ended with it upside down in the middle of the street.

Marcus tasted blood, _"Angie.."_

"Angie?" Marcus asked looking for his wife.

Turning his head to the right he found her still locked into her seat, staring straight ahead, blood running down her head with a blank expression on her face.

"ANGIE!" Marcus shouted, but she didn't move or even acted like she had heard him at all.

Marcus reached up and clicked his seatbelt, releasing it and dropping two feet onto what had been the ceiling of his car. Marcus groaned but immediately moved towards his wife, taking her head in his hands and looking into her eyes, they were open but she wasn't looking back.

"ANGIE!"

Marcus released her from her seatbelt and kicked out the passenger door, dragging her body out and onto the street. Marcus got to his feet and carried her a safe distance away from the now smoking vehicle; setting her down he checked for a pulse…_nothing._

"No! _Not_ happening! You're staying _right_ here Angie! Do you hear me!"

Marcus started doing compressions on her chest and breathing into her mouth every few seconds, after half a minute he checked for a pulse again…_nothing._

"God damn it fight!" Marcus started pounding on her heart with a fist, she wasn't dead; he wouldn't let her be.

Marcus spared a glance at the truck that had hit him; the driver was sitting in his seat watching him with cold eyes, for a second Marcus didn't understand…then it clicked.

"I'll be back Baby," he whispered to his wife.

Marcus made a dash for his car and reached into his glove compartment, pulling out a laser pistol. Marcus then snuck around the side of the smoking car; walking up to the driver side door of the truck he pulled the pistol on the driver.

"Where's your back up asshole?" growled Marcus.

The driver's face registered shock and his hands reached for his waist; Marcus pointed the pistol through the window and shot him in the leg in an area dangerously close to his crotch.

"_Christ!"_ screamed the driver.

"Do _not_ fuck with me; you didn't plan this alone, your buddies are on the way, what I need to know is when will they be here?"

Marcus heard the whirling blades of an approaching vertibird and the driver chuckled despite his pain.

"They'll be arriving shortly," said the driver grinning.

Marcus shot him in the head, then whirled the laser pistol towards the approaching vertibird and took aim at the fuel tank, but before he could squeeze off a shot he saw the flash of a sniper rifle from the side of the chopper and then felt the bullet rip into his shoulder; dropping the pistol from his hand and knocking him to the ground. The vertibird landed and Marcus tried reaching for the pistol with his other hand but someone dressed in Army camo kicked it away. After that the butt of a rifle collided with Marcus's forehead and all he saw was black.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Ice cold water splashed over Marcus's face.

"Wake up Marcus," said a voice.

Marcus's eyes fluttered open to find himself strapped to a chair with his old buddy Colonel Constantine Chase standing right in front of him.

Marcus thrashed against his restraints, "Where's my wife you piece of shit!"

Chase sighed, "The operation didn't go as planned, your car was supposed to be knocked off the road and we were supposed to grab you and throw you in the vertibird; your wife was going to be left alive…but that _fucking idiot_…he…he hit your car at wrong angle and…I'm sorry Marcus, I really truly am."

"I'LL KILL YOU SON OF A BITCH!" roared Marcus thrashing against the ropes tying him to the chair.

"You want to blame someone for her death look in the mirror! _You_ did this! _No_t me!"

Marcus narrowed his eyes, "So what are you going to do Chase? Kill me now is _that_ it? Go right ahead, you'll make the martyr this cause needs to send monsters like you back where they belong; in the pages of American History, as one of the many black stains this country has had to endure."

Chase sighed, "That's not how it's going to happen; we're commandos Marcus, in case you forgot we plan for _every_ single contingency. You want to know how this is going to play out? Tomorrow the news is going to run with the story of how the United States Ambassador and his wife were murdered by a communist insurgent group. Sometime in the morning the Pentagon will receive a call from one of the terrorist groups currently on their Top 10 list claiming responsibility for this horrible atrocity and letting them know where to find the bodies. This will provide just the spark the country needs to realize how obsolete the United Nations has become. Then in about two months from now the United States will announce that we have laid claim to the last of the oil reserves in the South Pacific to protect against the growing communist threat. At that point the war will have begun; a war that will end in our complete victory over China and establish ourselves as the _only_ superpower in the world."

"So take solace in the fact that your death will have meaning, even if your life never did."

Marcus gave Chase a sad smile, "You know Chase…I _almost_ pity you, I do. Because you think this is the last horrible thing you will ever have to do to serve your version of the _'greater good'_ but it's not, not by a long shot. You're going to keep doing evil things and you're going to keep telling yourself that you had no other choice, but eventually a day is going to come, 10 maybe 20 years down the line, and you'll wake up one morning and take a good hard look at your life and the decisions you've made. When that day comes around you're going to have an epiphany, a realization that everything you've ever done for the _'greater good'_ has only lead to more death and suffering for everyone around you, and in _that_ moment you will hate yourself more than I _ever _could."

Chase pulled a pistol and pointed it at Marcus's head, "See you around Marcus."

Marcus gave his old friend a dark smile, "When you get down to hell...I'll be waiting for you."

Chase paused for a second, and swallowed; this wasn't his first execution, it wasn't even the first time he had to kill a friend, what _was_ a first was the smile. People aren't supposed to smile when you're about to kill them...it was..._unsettling_. Chase pulled the trigger.

_BANG_

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

The FBI agent sat down in the Wolfes' living room; he had spoken in a soft and kind tone as he informed Jason and Tanya of the demise of their parents as if he could lessen the impact of the news with the sound of his voice. Tanya was sobbing uncontrollably into the shoulder of the councilor who had accompanied the agent. But Jason on the other hand was utterly quiet…the kind of quiet that was beginning to set the agent on edge; he had delivered this kind of news before and had found that people had all manner of coping mechanisms, a lot of people were rendered silent, having shut down their emotions until they were strong enough to process them. However one look into Jason's eyes and all the rage that resided within told him that was _not_ what Jason was doing. Jason was thinking, and whatever thoughts were running through that kid's mind were not of the sad and accepting sort; they were more of the track down and slowly kill the people who had just shattered his world sort.

Jason rose to his feet and went for the front door.

"_Jason?"_ asked Tanya, not wanting the only immediate family she had left to leave her alone in a room of strangers.

Jason acted as if he hadn't heard her and opened the door and left. He got into his truck and spun out of the driveway heading for a place at the center of town he must have drove past a thousand times, but never actually considered going in; not until now.

He pulled into the parking lot and walked into the Army Recruiter's office and approached the desk.

"Sign me up," said Jason in a deadpan voice.

The recruiter smiled, 'Want to do your part to help out Uncle Sam, huh?"

Jason looked into the man's eyes; he looked like he already knew what Jason's answer would be, as if he'd heard the same one over and over again "Yes sir, we all gotta do our part," "Yes sir, I want to fight for democracy," It was time this guy heard something new.

"I could give a shit about Uncle Sam, all _I _want to do is march over to China, and let them know _all_ about what's on my mind," stated Jason coldly.

The recruiter gave Jason a wary look, "Okay...sign on the dotted line."

* * *

Author's Note:

Alright a few things I should clarify. Chase and the Man in Black are indeed Enclave, Jason doesn't know how his parents really died, and I am aware there are a few discrepancies in the Fallout Timeline in this chapter; just try to keep in mind this is a slightly alternate alternate universe so events are going to be a little different.


	5. Session 05: Not in Kansas

Sorry for the delay in getting this up, things have been crazy busy around here. As usual the link to the playlist for this chapter can be found on my profile page.

* * *

January, 2278

Jason woke to the sound of heavy cursing. Groaning, he checked his Pip-Boy for the time; he had slept for _ten hours straight_. He hadn't slept that long since before basic training, when his drill instructor had given him the strong impression that should he ever sleep longer than seven hours in a row the enemy would sneak into his room and draw on his face with a rusty knife.

Jason automatically brought his hand up to his face; no deep scaring. That drill instructor had been a _nasty_ son of a bitch, but he had at least left Jason with a strong sense of paranoia and a finger always on the trigger; which looking back, were probably the most valuable qualities a soldier could have.

"Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck!"

Jason's ears zeroed in on the source of the cursing and could hear Wolfgang banging around under the hood of one of the trucks.

Jason sighed, for one sleepy moment he had almost thought this broken world had all been a bad dream.

He sat up and reached for his shirt and pants then grabbed the combat armor and proceeded to complete the ensemble. Once Jason was dressed, and his magnum holstered, he exited the tent and walked over to where Wolfgang was nursing a slightly burnt hand and muttering something about wanting to resurrect the dead Raiders so he could "fucking kill them again."

Jason raised an eyebrow, "Trouble?"

"The alternator is fucked, the battery has a bullet shaped hole in it, and when I tried to jury rig something that could get this piece of shit on wheels back to Megaton it fucking burned me."

Jason leaned over and looked under the hood and was astounded by the mess within, "How the hell have you kept this thing running up till now? Her insides look like something Dr. Seuss might dream up."

Wolfgang smirked, "Well when you can't call up the manufacturer and order new parts you gotta get _creative_."

Wolfgang pointed to the dump truck, "I got Hunk O' Ugly over there running off a homemade engine I put together from a water heater, a vacuum cleaner, and half a dishwasher; she can get up to 18 miles an hour, 30 if she's not running cargo," said Wolfgang proudly.

"Of course I'll have to sell her and every other fucking thing we can salvage when we get back to Megaton," growled Wolfgang bitterly.

"You don't sound pleased about that," noted Jason

"Yeah, I'm not wearing a fucking party hat, but I don't have much of a choice in the matter. Raiders blew up the trucks carrying my most valuable cargo - _fuckers - _anywho, my only hope of paying back my investors is to sell the three trucks they _didn't _blow up along with Hunk O' Ugly."

"So, what are you going to do now?" asked Jason

"I don't know, all I know is there isn't any profit in running caravans in the Capital Wasteland anymore. Hell, only reason it took me this long to pack up and leave is because I owed the local Caravan Chief a favor, but Old Roe is just going to have to manage without me."

"Where are you going to go?"

"Someplace _not_ infested with Raiders, Super Mutants, Enclave, and giant fucking bugs."

"I've been riding the Caravans for over 30 years now, ever since I was a kid. Been up and down the East Coast. Everywhere from Miami to Toronto, even been as far inland as South Dakota. And sure, shit sucks pretty much everywhere you go, but nowhere, and I mean _nowhere_, is there a place as fucked up as the Capital Wasteland."

Jason raised an eyebrow, "That bad huh?"

"Well not always, at least not when I was a kid. When the radiation cleared out enough for people to begin resettling the area a little over 60 years ago things were pretty good. We were able to excavate all sorts of technology from the DC ruins and we even got a few factories up and running again. This place was actually on the road to rivaling the Commonwealth. Then about 20 years ago the Super Mutants started showing up; huge, green, _vicious_ mother fuckers that can literally rip a man in half with their bare hands. There were just a few of them at first, they came into our settlements, murdered, stole weapons, and dragged people off to do god only knows what. It was bad, but we had the situation in hand, at least for a while. Then more started showing up, it was at that point that everything went to hell, in fact if the Brotherhood hadn't come along I'm pretty sure the Capital Wasteland would be a graveyard by now."

"What's the rest of the country look like?" asked Jason

"Pretty much like you would expect it too after a nuclear apocalypse. Most of the country is a wasteland, but there are a few places that mostly escaped the Fallout such as the Everglades, the Black Hills, and Point Lookout, but even those places aren't exactly tourist destinations, _especially_ Point Lookout, in fact don't _ever_ fucking go to Point Lookout," said Wolfgang with a shudder

"A couple of major cities and some corporations survived the bombs as well. Up north in what used to be the New England states is the Commonwealth; it's run by the remnants of a few corporations that escaped the nukes by fleeing to Greenland when the bombs fell, they spent 40 years freezing their asses off up there while the radiation levels dropped. Once it was safe they came back and founded the Commonwealth."

"The place is run out of Boston, which may be the only city in the world which has actually _grown _in the past 200 years. The people who live there are kind of off their rocker though, _still_, the place has the best tech around so I _try_ to maintain friendly relations."

Jason felt a little relieved to know that humanity hadn't slipped back into the Stone Age, but was still confused on one point.

"Why hasn't the Commonwealth spread across the country by now, if they have the tech and the resources what's stopping them?"

Wolfgang actually laughed out loud at that, "Let's just say they are a bit _isolationist_."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Ask Jessie, she was born and raised there, so she can tell you all about it."

Jason nodded, "So besides the Brotherhood, the Enclave, and the Commonwealth, any other major powers I should know about?"

Wolfgang thought for a moment, "Well nothing on the same scale as the Commonwealth, at least not on the East Coast. The West Coast on the other hand has been folded into a nation called the New California Republic, but it's a _bit _outside my normal trade routes so I can't really tell you much about it."

Wolfgang reached for a wrench, "And unfortunately that's all the time I have for geography lessons, but I'm sure Jessie would be just _delighted_ to answer any and all further questions you may have."

Wolfgang ducked his head back under the hood of the truck.

Jason ignored the obvious innuendo; Wolfgang was clearly pissed off at the world at the moment, and his bad mood was starting to seep onto Jason so he left him to his work and walked over to where some of the caravaners were sorting through the supplies that had survived the Raider attack. Jason found Jessie taking apart an assault rifle, cleaning it, and putting it back together with surprising skill.

Jason raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that going to piss off your Hippocratic Oath?"

Jessie chuckled, "Me and my Oath have an understanding; if someone tries to kill me I'm allowed to try and kill them right back."

Jason grinned, "So where did you learn to be a doctor anyway?"

"The Institute," replied Jessie, then seeing Jason's quizzical look she explained.

"You would probably know it as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,"

Jason smirked, "M.I.T. is still around? I guess those eggheads are more tenacious than I ever gave them credit for."

"They had it easy…relatively speaking. The Chinese didn't directly target universities and West-Tek evacuated the faculty and grad students from there as well as Harvard, Yale, and University of Pennsylvania to Greenland before the fallout could reach them. When they came back after the radiation cleared out they built the Institute; a massive underground complex that serves as a center for higher learning and advanced research."

"So why did you leave? Sounds like place is a whole hell of a lot better than this," said Jason gesturing to the crumbling ruins of civilization around them.

"_Exactly_," said Jessie darkly.

"You see, the Board of Directors have this idea that they and everyone else in the Commonwealth are superior to the backwards inhabitants of the wastelands and that to take the time to improve the lives of those people would be a waste of resources. Not everyone agrees with that philosophy and the ones who make their disagreements too public are banished to remote outposts. They tried to send _me_ to a research station off the coast of Canada, but I told them to burn in hell and moved down to the Capital Wasteland instead."

Jason grinned in approval, "So what are you doing with Wolfgang's caravan?"

Jessie shrugged, "Wolfgang pays well enough and this way I can give the people we visit some much needed medical attention. Although I guess I'll be looking for a new job here pretty soon."

"You could always hook up with another caravan, right?" suggested Jason

Jessie smiled, "I don't think so. You can't count on a dashing hero riding to the rescue every time the Raiders come calling."

"So how far does the Commonwealth reach?" asked Jason curiously

"The Commonwealth itself encompasses Massachusetts and most of Connecticut and Rhode Island. And we still have a presence in Greenland, as well as research and manufacturing outposts up and down the East Coast. We also maintain a small fleet of scientific research vessels that are spread out across ocean, monitoring the far corners of the world."

"Really? What does the rest of the world look like?" asked Jason, interested.

Jessie was quiet for a moment, "You know I've always wanted to know that myself, but unfortunately the Board classifies all the reports the fleet brings back, I used to wonder why they did that, it never made much sense to me, and the only answer I could come up with for their actions was that there was still something out there that could threaten their power."

The roar of an engine followed by Wolfgang's loud "BOO YA!" derailed Jason's next question.

"Alright boys and girls time to saddle up! We get moving now we'll reach Megaton before nightfall!"

Driving through the bombed out ruins of Springvale was an eerie experience for Jason. He had actually lived here for a few years as a kid, back when his father was stationed overseas. It was a nice place to grow up, great neighborhoods, friendly neighbors, and a pretty girl next door. Jason passed the park where he had had his first date when he was six; the swing set that he had sat on was now a pile blackened and warped metal tubing. The entire town actually was just a collection of decaying and crumbling structures, but enough of the road way was still intact that the caravan was able to make good time.

Up ahead Jason could see the walls of Megaton, they were easily 50 feet high. Wolfgang told him that the town had been built inside a bomb crater over two miles in diameter and that the walls enclosed the crater; effectively creating a fortress. As Jason approached the gates he saw that built next to the town was something that closely resembled an impound lot, complete with electric fence and patrolling guard dogs. Inside the fence were several dozen vehicles as well as a garage from which the sound of machinery could be heard.

Wolfgang got out of his truck and turned to address the others, "Y'all can go luxuriate inside the city walls if you want, I got some haggling to do so if you want to avoid the blood spatter I suggest you get moving."

Wolfgang walked up to the gate of the car lot and started shouting at the people inside.

Jessie walked up to Jason who was still sitting on his hover bike, "Come on Cowboy, I'll show you around town."

"Sounds good," replied Jason walking his bike up to the car lot.

"I'm going to leave this with you fellas for a while; If you fuck with my bike in any way you _will_ regret it," he stated in an informative tone.

A few of the guys in the car lot exchanged confident expressions as Jason walked away

Wolfgang spoke up, "_Trust me _on this boys, the smartest decision that you could ever hope to make in life is to keep those meat beaters _off that bike_."

"Why? What's he going to do?"

Wolfgang shrugged, "I honestly don't know, the man is very creative in thinking up ways to kill people, but hey, at least your death won't suffer from a cliche."

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Megaton felt like an overturned ant hill; it seemed that every single available space in the city was occupied by stalls and shops. Jason could barely hear himself think over all the noise; he could tell right now that his FEV improved hearing was going to require a period of adjustment. Jessie guided him to the center of the city where it seemed a huge debate was taking place….around a partially buried thermonuclear warhead.

"What the fuck?" he whispered

Taking note of his reaction Jessie chuckled, "We _did_ tell you that Megaton was built in a bomb crater."

"Yeah silly me, here I was thinking the bomb that created the crater had actually _blown on impact_. Are these people out of their _fucking mind?_"

"A little yeah, but no worries the Lone Wanderer disarmed the bomb nearly a year ago."

"Lone Wanderer?" asked Jason perplexed.

"That's right you wouldn't know about him, would you…"

Jessie scratched her head, "Well it's kind of a long story and I'm not sure I can do it justice, but I guess I can try."

"The Lone Wanderer was a Vault Dweller from 101 he's a _legend_ to the Capital Wasteland. He left the Vault searching for his missing father and in his search he helped everyone he came across, the differences he has made in the lives of the people around here are…profound. His father was involved in Project Purity, a massive filter located in Jefferson Memorial that had the goal of making all the water out here clean of radiation, and when the Wanderer finally found his father and discovered what he was trying to do he agreed to help him, only it wasn't long after that his father was murdered by the Enclave and Project Purity was taken over. The Enclave had this psychotic idea to use the filter to poison all the water in the wasteland so that anyone exposed to radiation would be killed upon drinking it. Not about to take that kind of shit lying down the Wanderer charged Project Purity with the Brotherhood of Steel and a _giant robot_. They fought their way to Project Purity's control room only to find that the nuclear reactor being used to power the facility had been sabotaged and was about the blow and to make the situation even more wonderful the control room itself was flooded with radiation. Someone needed to enter the control room and shut down the reactor or the Capital Wasteland was going up in flames. His companions wanted to draw straws to see who would to go in, but he didn't give them the chance. While they were arguing he silently entered the control room and locked the door shut behind him. By the time they realized what had happened it was too late, the Wanderer shut down the reactor and saved the Project, and probably the Wasteland as well, and then…he died."

"Sounds like a hero," said Jason

"Yeah, well for the Capital Wasteland the Lone Wanderer has transcended hero; to the people out here he's a _messiah_. An Angel of Mercy delivered straight from heaven itself."

"People will believe what they want to believe," shrugged Jason

Jessie looked at him, she was getting the impression he was talking about more than the Lone Wanderer.

The debate around the bomb suddenly exploded into a brawl. Reflexes honed from years of breaking up fights between drunken soldiers kicked in and Jason leapt foreword. Only he forgot to take into account his enhanced strength and speed, he had intended to just pull a few people apart, what actually happened was that he subdued the entire crowd with the brutal efficiency of an L.A.P.D. SWAT team.

"Sorry…sorry," he muttered to the people groaning on the ground.

"Thanks for the help, I think you may have been a _bit _overzealous in delivering it though," said a dark skinned man walking up to him.

"Lucas Simms, Town Sherriff, and who might you be?" asked the Sheriff holding out a hand.

"Captain Jason Wolfe, United States Army, for whatever that still means," said Jason shaking the hand.

"You know there's a tale spreading through town bout a man frozen 200 years ago who woke up with a powerful urge to butcher himself a squad of Raiders; you wouldn't know anything about that would ya?"

Jason was a little astounded, "I _literally_ got to town less than an hour ago."

"World travels fast round here, best be careful Captain, else people will start marking you as the next Lone Bad Ass in these parts."

The Sheriff tipped his hat politely to Jessie then walked over to the people groaning on the ground.

"What seems to be the trouble here?" he asked pleasantly

"Sheriff!" cried an old man getting to his feet.

"These..these _blasphemers_ are trying to remove this _shining_ _beacon_ of Atom's Glory from the center of town, we must _stop _them at once!" shouted the man.

"Now Confessor Cromwell, we've had this discussion before and ain't nothing changed since then. The Town had a vote, you gave yours, I gave mine, and long story short the nuke_ goes_. We're putting up a statue of the Lone Wanderer in it's place, you remember _him_ don't you? The nice man who rescued half your flock from the Enclave?"

"Oh yes of course! A child blessed by Atom if there ever was one!"

"Is he coming to visit again?" asked Cromwell.

"I'm sure he will, he's just _real busy _at the moment helping folks out and all," said the Sheriff kindly.

The Sheriff nodded to a group of approaching men and women dressed in long coats and cowboy hats.

"I'm gonna have one of my deputies take you home now, ok? I'd be mighty grateful if you'd tell your flock to do the same, you can always come back tomorrow once y'all had a chance to rest up and reflect upon the _glory of Atom_," said the Sheriff in a friendly tone.

"You speak with truth my friend! Come everyone! Now is the time for reflection, tomorrow comes the time for _action_!"

Once the crazies were out of ear shot the Sheriff turned to the people still gathered around the bomb.

"Henry you had better have that bomb dug up and out of my town by sun up or there's gonna be hell to pay," warned Simms.

The Sheriff turned back to Jason, "You just met the Church of Atom," he said informatively.

Simms inclined his hat to Jessie again, "Mam," he said politely.

Jason was silent for a few seconds before turning to Jessie.

"Do I even want to know?" he asked.

"Probably not," she answered

"Okay then, moving on,"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason sat down at the bar and turned to Jessie, "You know I don't have any money right?" he asked.

"Relax Cowboy, it's on me," she said flagging the bartender.

Jason looked around the bar a place called, "Moriarity's" there was a Jukebox in the corner blasting out more of the kind of music that made Jason want to bash his head against something, and in another corner was a woman licking her lips suggestively at him who was so far from his type that it made him vaguely nauseous. Jessie noticed his discomfort and didn't have to look far for its source.

"Back off Nova! This here is _my _man!" she growled, throwing an arm around Jason's shoulders for effect.

Nova shrugged and went to bother someone else while Jason chuckled, "Thanks for the assist," he said.

"Anytime," she grinned

"What can I get you?" asked a raspy voice, _the bartender _Jason decided without looking.

Jason turned his head, "I don't know, what do- Whoa! What the _fuck_ are you!" demanded Jason subconsciously reaching for his magnum.

The bartender was a _fucking corpse_, his skin was charred and hanging off his face in random patches and Jason could actually see bloody red muscle twitching as the man talked.

"I'm the bartender asshole, now can I take your order or would you prefer to fuck with me some more?" asked the corpse in the same raspy voice.

Jessie's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, "I'm sorry Gob, believe it or not, he's never seen or even _heard_ of a ghoul before, this is _my_ fault for not giving him a heads up."

"Heads up? It's a fucking _zombie_." hissed Jason.

"_No_ he's a _human _who's been exposed to extreme amounts of radiation; and you're being a real bastard to him by the way."

"Oh…_oh_."

Jason finally remembered his manners and turned to address the ghoul "Ummm sorry for the zombie remark; I saw a lot of horror movies as a kid and you just…umm…, you know what _never mind_, let's just start over. Hi my name's Jason, and I'm sorry for being an asshole, sometimes I just can't help myself."

The ghoul raised what might have been an eyebrow, "Hi Jason, I forgive you for being a dick, my name's Gob. Now can I _please_ take your fucking order?"

Jason side glanced at Jessie who was shaking her head in her hands, "We'll just have a couple tumblers of whiskey Gob." she said.

The ghoul bent down beneath the bar and came back up with two glasses and a bottle of amber liquid which he poured into the tumblers. Jason noticed that Gob gave Jessie significantly more than he gave him.

"Well _that_ was awkward," said Jason trying to break the sudden tension.

Jessie snorted, "That's quite a gift for the understatement you have there,"

"Hey! How the hell am _I_ supposed to know about ghouls! When you're exposed to radiation you're supposed to die not turn into a fucking zombie." hissed Jason quietly.

"Yeah, well there were _a lot _of things we didn't know about radiation before the war," replied Jessie.

While Jason sipped at his drink he noticed a group of people wearing purple and gold jumpsuits with a large 101 stamped on the back in white letters.

"It's good to know the Vaults weren't the massive waste of money most people thought they were," commented Jason inclining his head toward the group.

"That's a matter of debate," replied Jessie dryly.

"What do you mean?" asked Jason

"We've found a few Vaults in the Commonwealth, when we opened them up we didn't exactly find a peaceful world of tomorrow. What we did find was a fucking massacre. I've only seen vids of those expeditions but what was on them was still enough to give me nightmares for weeks," said Jessie shuddering

"Hmmm," said Jason thoughtfully.

"Hey Gob what are the 101ers doing here?" asked Jessie.

"They're looking to bring on some folks to fill the vacant positions in the Vault. Way I hear it without an engineer to keep that reactor running and a doctor to treat the wounded the place will be done for within months."

"They have any luck?"

"Plenty of fellas out here would give just about anything to live in a Vault. They must have signed up _at least_ 80 people; only thing they couldn't get their hands on was a doctor. There ain't many doctors around hear outside Rivet City and the one here in Megaton doesn't want to leave."

"Well I guess we know where you can find a new job," commented Jason.

"I don't know a Vault seems like a stuffy place to live…" replied Jessie.

"I toured one in Los Angeles one time. They're actually pretty nice, they got replicators that can create just about any food, a massive atrium with every plant you can imagine, an Olympic swimming pool, and even an underground baseball and soccer field. There are worse places to spend your time."

"I _guess_ it could be kind of fun…"

Jason turned toward the 101ers, "Hey Vault Boys! Still need a doctor?"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason saw Wolfgang leaning against his hover bike as he entered the car lot, he tossed Jason a heavy looking satchel; it made a clinking sound as he caught it.

"That's your cut from the sale; 2,500 caps. Now we're almost halfway even for you saving my ass."

"Thanks, but you can keep it if you can just tell me where I can find a bio containment lab in the Capital Wasteland." replied Jason.

That _wasn't_ a question Wolfgang was expecting."

Wolfgang raised an eyebrow, "Why not ask Jessie?"

"Because then I would have to explain to her why I needed one,"

Wolfgang smiled slyly, "Why _do_ you need one?"

"Science project," stated Jason dryly.

Wolfgang chuckled, "Rivet City has the set up you need. It's up in the old Washington Naval Yard; you know where that is?"

"If the landscape hasn't changed too much I think I'll be good."

Wolfgang grinned, "It's pretty much the same general layout…more or less, but just in case you get lost look for black Vertibirds in the air. Rivet City Security has been patrolling the skies pretty heavily since the Enclave started showing up so you shouldn't have to much trouble finding them."

"Sounds like the place still has some decent technology,"

"It was founded by remnants of the Naval Research Center after the war so there were plenty of eggheads to keep things running."

Jason held the bag of caps out to Wolfgang but he waived him off, "Keep it, we still ain't even close to even, besides if you want to use one of Rivet City's labs you're gonna need to make a cash donation anyway."

"Thanks for the heads up," said Jason stowing the caps in the hover bikes storage compartment with the rest of his gear.

"No one tried screwing with the bike did they?" asked Jason starting it up.

"Actually some dumbass tried to get inside that storage compartment there, but wouldn't you know it as soon as he touched it he got a few thousand volts of electricity up his arm."

Jason chuckled darkly, "Yeah, these babies come with one hell of a security system. I did warn them….sort of."

Wolfgang laughed.

Jason held out his hand, "It's been an _eventful experience."_

Wolfgang clasped the hand, "Be seeing you around mate."

Jason pulled the throttle and accelerated outside the gate, once he was about a mile outside town he kicked the bike into gear and headed East toward Rivet City and toward being one step closer to getting some payback.

* * *

Author's Note:

Okay like I said in the beginning the world in the story is A LOT bigger than the world portrayed in games, and the story will be traveling to places outside the Capital Wasteland as well. The settlements in this story are also a bit farther along than the ones in the game (e.g. Rivet City having Vertibirds). The reason for that is because this story is set in a slightly alternate alternate reality and because after 200 years I find it difficult to believe that the people on the East Coast have made so little headway in terms of rebuilding anything. Also Rivet City is on a freaking aircraft carrier, why the hell _wouldn't_ they have vertibirds?

Oh and the Lone Wanderer in this story is in fact _severely corpseified_ although most of his companions will make an appearance at one point or another, in fact Lyon's Pride will be in the next chapter and they play a massive role throughout the story. I'm sorry for murdering everyone's favorite Vault Dweller, but this story is about Jason and I felt that if the Lone Wanderer were in it then the plot would take a reaming. Alrighty, I think that just about covers it, but if I missed anything let me know.


	6. Session 06: City of the Damned :1:

Funny thing about plans, you assume one thing will happen, and what do you know? Something very fucking different happens instead. Take for example this chapter; I originally planned for it to be around 5,000 words long, what I wound up with was over 20,000, yes, you read correctly. So now I've been forced to break the chapter up into three parts. This is part one and parts two and three will be uploaded once I've put the finishing touches on them.

As usual you can find some awesome tuneage to go along with this chapter by going to my author's page and clicking on the link to this chapter's playlist. I'm not going to lie to you; the vast majority of this three part arc is composed of epic fight scenes, so if you want to feel the full adrenaline rush I strongly advise you to listen to the playlists.

* * *

Sarah Lyons placed her boot on the corpse of the Enclave officer and kicked him over, wrinkling her nose at the stench that wafted up to hit her. Leaning down she examined the body; it was difficult to tell that it had ever been human. The officer and been cut right down the middle with something sharp and jagged and maggots were spilling out of the gaping wound. Sarah reached into the man's pockets looking for something that would explain his presence this far from Raven Rock. _Nothing_. She sighed and placed her hand over the man's milky white eyes, sliding them shut.

"Looks like your desert rat was actually telling us the truth for once Kodiak," stated Sarah looking around at the two dozen Enclave corpses littered throughout the abandoned building.

Kodiak nodded, "Yeah, his intel has gotten a lot better since Gallows gave him that _heart to heart_."

Sarah smirked; a conversation with Irving Gallows would cause a _deathclaw_ to piss itself and reconsider its life choices.

Sarah turned to Vargas, "What do you think? 4 days?"

"Probably," he agreed.

"Looks like they came in here to get away from whatever was attacking them and it followed them in," he said, nodding toward the massive gap that had been knocked into the wall of the building.

Sarah walked towards the breach and examined the thickness of the wall and the edges of the gap.

"No blast residue. Looks like whatever done these boys in punched its way straight through the fucking wall," she mused.

"Pack Raptors?" suggested Vargas.

Sarah shook her head, "Pack Raptors _eat_ what they kill, and they don't strip their prey of armor and weapons when they're done."

Sarah took another moment to survey the scene trying to think of what could have created it.

"Maybe it was the Super Mutants," suggested Kodiak.

"It's possible…" said Sarah slowly.

"But what would they be doing this deep in Virginia? Even _they_ aren't dumb enough to go prancing their ugly asses around in our own backyard."

"We should report our findings to the Citadel," stated Vargas.

Sarah nodded, "You and Kodiak set the charges and meet us outside; we're wheels up in 10."

Sarah exited the building and walked over to the three Humvees parked outside.

"So did one that asshole's stories finally pan out?" asked Dusk sitting in one of the gun turrets.

"The building was filled with corpsified Enclave, didn't find any usable intel but at least the son of a bitch wasn't lying to us this time, saves me from having to waste a bullet on his sorry ass for sending us on another goose chase."

Dusk chuckled.

Sarah climbed into the passenger seat of the Humvee and picked up the mike.

"Citadel Control. Lyon's Pride. Come in, over."

"Lyon's Pride. Citadel Control. What's your SitRep, over?"

"Location is full of dead Enclave, but it's unclear how they came to be in their present condition. I'm recommending we step up patrols in the area until we are enlightened on the subject. We're blowing the building now. E.T.A. 2 hours, over."

"Sorry Lyon's Pride, that's a negative E.T.A."

Sarah sighed, _it's going to be one of those days, I just fucking know it_

"One of our relay stations received an Outcast distress beacon; we've tracked the origin of the signal to Charlottesville and the Old Man is sending you to investigate, over."

Sarah made no attempt to hide her incredulity.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Those assholes aren't our problem anymore, let that dickhead Casdin take care of it, if he even fucking cares. They made their bed and it's about god damn time they slept in it," she growled.

The voice over the radio let out a sigh, he hated having to reason with Sarah when she had her claws were out.

"The Old Man said that if that was your response to remind you that we don't abandon our brothers, _especially_ when they're walking down a bad path."

"Well you tell him, that _my _brothers don't leave me to deal with Enclave and Super Mutants on my fucking _own_ while they scavenge through ruins."

"We are sworn -"

Sarah cut him off.

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I fucking get it! I'll investigate the god damn beacon!" she snapped.

"Your effort is appreciated. Beacon is running off an FM Radio Frequency. Tune to 1077 and you should be able to pick it up when you reach the outskirts of the city."

"Anything else I should know?"

"Just be careful, there's a reason why Charlottesville has been empty for 200 years. That place is bad luck."

Sarah snorted, "Yeah, well apparently so is my fucking life,"

Sarah ran a hand through her hair.

"Hey Doyle, if the boss feels like having a chat with me go ahead and let him know I'm requesting _radio silence_, will you?

The voice on the other side of the conversation chuckled, "The silent treatment? _Seriously_? Fine, but when you get back you and him need to work out your issues, this is getting ridiculous."

"_I'm_ not the one with the issues, dickhead. Lyon's Pride. Over and Out."

Sarah dropped the mike and shouted out the window.

"Vargas, Kodiak, hurry the hell up we got us a new mission!"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Charlottesville was quiet; in fact, to quote an old expression the place was "_too_ quiet," it was the kind of quiet that set people like Sarah on edge. Sarah turned to Gallows who was sitting behind the wheel and staring out at the decaying city around them.

"You getting the feeling we're about to get our asses blown off?" she asked dryly.

Gallows cocked his head slightly, something Sarah had long since learned was his version of a smirk, "I'm not worried, I _like_ new and exciting adventures, and I got a few new toys I been aching to try out, maybe someone out here will want to play with me."

"Yeah Gallows, you're a _real_ fucking people person," growled Dusk from the gunner turret.

Glade and Kodiak chuckled from the backseat.

"Who knows Sugar, maybe underneath all that power armor beats the heart of a sweet sensitive man who likes scented candles, long walks on the beach, and cuddling by the fireside with that _oh_ so special someone." said Glade positively.

Gallows looked into the rearview mirror.

"You're a heavy weapons specialist right? Because for a moment there it sounded like you were a comedian…_I don't like comedians_. You should just stick to things that go boom." advised Gallows coldly.

Glade raised an eyebrow, "Look at Mr. Sensitive, what's the matter Sunshine, can't take a joke?" he asked tauntingly.

"Everyone shut the fuck up! The next person who talks out of turn is getting my boot up their ass and walking home."

All eyes turned to Sarah, it was common knowledge that she had an uncanny sixth sense for danger. If she ever started acting tense or nervous it was usually a good idea to check your rifle and settle your grievances with God.

Glade's eyes darted towards Sarah, _**yep**__, eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowed, nostrils flared; okay then…__**let the good times roll!**_

Glade grabbed his combat shotgun and started loading it with his favorite ammo: high explosive incendiary rounds. Sure, they were expensive and hard to come by, but they could barbeque a Super Mutant in one hit; so if there _were_ any bad guys lurking around the corners Glade was confident in his ability to ruin their fucking day.

Sarah reached for the radio and addressed the convoy, "We're coming up on the beacon, everyone stay frosty; something about this situation screams seriously fucking off."

The Humvee turned the corner and entered a wide street filled with overturned decaying cars and collapsed lamp posts, the cars had old scorch marks and bullet holes and the buildings on either side of the street had taken some heavy damage along their base. Sarah had seen similar sights in towns all across the former United States; they were the telltale indicators of the massive rioting that took place all across the country after the bombs fell.

Charlottesville was never hit by any bombs, but it definitely felt the effects of their impact. The Brotherhood had scouted the ghost city a few years back; the team that was sent in came back with video footage taken by a news crew three days after the bombs dropped. Sarah had watched in horrified fascination as thousands of panicked civilians took to the streets, smashing store windows, breaking into cars, and basically try to get their hands on anything that could help them survive the approaching fallout. She saw police officers who hadn't slept in days and hanging by a thread _completely_ lose their shit and open fire on terrified men, women and children. The last of the videos showed people vomiting and bleeding from their eyes and ears as blood red storm clouds descended upon the city raining down a relentless torrent of radiation.

There had been a couple of attempts to breathe life back into the ghost city over the years, but they had all ended badly, _very_ badly. The locals, even the raiders, believed the city was cursed and gave the place as wide a berth as possible. Personally Sarah thought it was a bunch of crap, but even so, she really didn't want to stay longer than was absolutely necessary; the place may not be cursed but _something_ was definitely off about it.

At the end of the street was a building marked GBC29 on Sarah's map of the city. It was a pre-war news station and according to her frequency scanner, the location of Outcast beacon. Unfortunately they had gone as far as they could in the humvee; between her and the building the street was literally _covered_ with wreckage from overturned vehicles and past battles.

She signaled the convoy to stop and got out of the car.

"Alright, looks like we're doing this on foot. Gallows, Colvin, Kodiak; you're with me," said Sarah unslinging the Laser Rifle from her back.

She turned towards the building and paused for a moment giving the structure a long calculating gaze, "Glade take Dusk and a humvee and see if you can circle around the back of the building."

Glade threw Sarah a two finger salute, "No problemo little lady,"

"I _will_ neuter you," threatened Sarah coldly.

Glade opened the driver side door chuckling, "Whoa! Cool your jets, I ain't _that_ kinky."

"Gallows, feel free to kick his ass anytime you like," stated Sarah.

Gallows cocked his head, "I appreciate that, thanks."

Glade leaned out the window and blew him a kiss, "Anytime, _anywhere_ Big Boy,"

Gallows turned to Sarah, "I'd really like to do it _now_,"

"I'd prefer you wait till we get home, but if you absolutely must…"

Glade revved the engine laughing, "No way, no how, too _late_; you'll just have to _wait_."

"Man's a fucking poet," said Gallows dryly, watching the humvee drive away.

Sarah looked to her remaining knights.

"Vargas, you're in command; try not to let it go to your head," she said coolly.

Vargas chuckled along with the rest of the knights

Sarah checked the charge on her rifle and turned back towards the abandoned news station, "Let's move out,"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Sarah kicked the door open and burst into the room sweeping left while Kodiak swept right. She narrowed her eyes as she pointed her rifle down the poorly lit hallway and saw no hint of movement.

"Clear," she said

"Clear," echoed Kodiak

The team was more than half way into the news station and they had yet to make contact with so much as a radroach. Judging by the flickering lights scattered throughout the station the Outcasts had definitely been here and got a generator up and running somewhere in the building; the only problem with that was where the fuck were they now?"

Gallows and Colvin followed them through the door and took up position around the next doorway, exchanging a nod they rushed in, Colvin right, Gallows left.

There was a moment of silence then…"Clear,"

_Something's wrong._

Sarah and Kodiak walked towards Colvin and Gallows.

"This isn't right. We should have encountered sentries by now," stated Sarah.

Colvin nodded, "Death lingers in the air," he said softly.

Kodiak snorted, "Turn down the brooding; we still got one room left to clear maybe we'll catch those useless assholes napping,"

Sarah gestured for Kodiak to take point and the team moved deeper into the station, towards the news studio. Kodiak came to a stop by the side of a heavy door and waited while Sarah and Gallows lined up on the other side. Once they were in position he kicked the door in and the team rushed into the studio; stopping dead at the sight that confronted them.

"Jesus Christ…" whispered Sarah.

"Yep," agreed Gallows.

Hanging by their arms and chained to the ceiling were the bodies of eight Outcasts who had been ripped from their power armor and tortured until dead. Sarah walked over to one of the hanging corpses and examined the body, it was raw and bloody, completely covered with bruises, but there was something else, something…_wrong _about it.

Sarah turned to her squad, "Cut them down,"

Kodiak reached into his pack and pulled out a blow torch then went to work on the chains, as the chains snapped Colvin and Gallows caught the bodies and lowered them gently to the ground. Sarah took out a flashlight and began examining the corpses under the light.

She signaled for Gallows to kneel down with her, "These bodies are wrong," she stated.

"The muscles in the arms and the neck are deformed and bulging,"

Gallows leaned down and examined the body; the bicep in the left arm had grown to the point of ripping the skin. _Ouch_.

"They've been exposed to a mutagen," stated Gallows.

"Yes, and who do we know who likes going around capturing people and dosing them with green goo?"

"Super Mutants this close to the Citadel? Well _that's _something new."

"There's something else," continued Sarah, "These bodies weren't exposed to the usual FEV strain, the coloration and muscular deformation is wrong, this is something new, that means those big green bastards are _experimenting_."

"_That's_ cheerful news," stated Gallows dryly

Sarah turned to the rest of her squad. Kodiak had finished cutting down the last of the Outcasts, and Colvin was kneeling next to the bodies speaking a prayer.

"Lord, allow my brothers entrance into your kingdom, may you free them from the darkness that plagues their souls, and may they find in the next life the peace they have been denied in this one."

Colvin drew a cross over his chest, "Amen,"

"Amen," echoed Sarah standing up.

Kodiak shook his head, "They were traitors, every one of them, but they sure as hell didn't deserve _this_," he said, hissing the last word.

Sarah nodded, "Contact Citadel Control. Let them know we need Gun Ships and a biological containment team on location ASAP. Maybe we can still hunt down the bastards who did this."

Kodiak nodded and switched on the radio, "Citadel Control. Lyon's Pride. We- Fuck!"

Kodiak dropped the radio and rubbed his ears as shrilling static emitted from the head set.

They were being jammed.

Gallows cocked his head, "Well _my_ day just got a whole lot more interesting,"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Vargas's gaze swept towards the news station again, he might not have had Sarah Lyon's freakishly well-tuned sense for danger, but he was far from clueless. He recognized the calm before the storm when he felt it; people were going to be dying here today, only question was when and where the shit would hit the fan.

Vargas looked out over the buildings on either side of the street; they looked empty and completely devoid of life, but then again…

"Riggs, Hazuki. Take your teams and patrol down the street. Let me know what you see." he ordered.

"Yes sir!"

Vargas watched as the eight initiates marched off to scout the street. After a minute they gave him the all clear sign. Still, something felt…_off_. Vargas selected two more teams and ordered them to clear the buildings, then picked up his canteen and took a gulp of water.

Turning his gaze back to the news station he allowed his brooding to resume, _so where is the trap here or in the station?_ If it was the station then Sarah and the people with her were more than capable of handling themselves, but if it was here…

Vargas turned and looked at the troops around him and sighed, calling them _troops_ was being pretty god damned generous. They were _initiates_, barely out of basic training and only along for the ride because this was supposed to be a milk run, a chance for them to gain experience without being killed in the process.

Vargas really hoped he was wrong about what was about to happen because if he wasn't he was going to have a whole shitload of dead kids on his hands.

_**BOOM!**_

There was an explosion of gunfire from one of the buildings he had sent knights into.

"Enemy Contact! All teams! Fall back!"

Vargas pointed to the soldiers closest to him, "You two! With me!" he shouted.

Vargas turned and ran towards the building where the gun fire was coming from. He hadn't taken more than three steps from the Humvees when he heard a loud crack and then suddenly one of the soldiers he had sent in came crashing through the wall of the building; his body landing sprawled and prone on the ground.

Vargas stared through the newly created opening. Standing there at the foot of the breach was a Super Mutant, over seven feet tall and built like a god damn tank. In its hands was a massive sledge hammer, and in it eyes was an all-consuming murderous rage. The big green bastard let loose a roar and charged at Vargas through the opening. Raising his assault rifle he emptied his magazine into the charging mass of snarling ugly. After a few seconds of sustained fire the Super Mutant collapsed to the ground, sledgehammer flying free of its hands.

_Okay Sarah time to stop sightseeing and get the fuck out of here._

Vargas activated his shortwave headset and got a shrilling blast of static in his ears.

"_Fuck!"_ he snapped switching it off.

They were being jammed, and the only reason for someone to do that was to sling a noose around their neck and prevent them for calling for help when they yanked it tight.

More super mutants came pouring out of the opening and charged at the two Humvees.

Vargas roared at the two initiates on the 50 cals, "LIGHT EM UP!"

The air exploded in cacophony of violence as the Humvees two machine guns tore into the charging mass of ugly.

"Standard defensive formation! Use the Humvees for cover!" roared Vargas

Most of the initiates still hadn't received advanced infantry training; that would severely limit the plays he could call. He still had one advantage though; Super Mutants were stupid, had zero tactical awareness, and traveled in small groups because they lacked the discipline and organization to maintain larger ones. If they stuck to that play book Vargas knew he could win this fight.

As if on cue the air filled with the sounds of hundreds of vicious, angry roars. All moving in on his position.

Vargas's eyes narrowed, "There is no fucking way my luck is that bad," he hissed.

Dozens more super mutants came pouring into the street and rushed at the Humvees.

Vargas raised his assault rifle and shouted at the initiates, "Drop some lead on those motherfuckers! If they get within so much as 30 feet of us I will permanently bury my boot up your fucking ass!"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

"We're being jammed, which is _fucked up_, but it tells me two things: Something in this city wants us dead, and it's time for us to get the fuck out of here." stated Sarah, summarizing the situation.

Colvin knelt down by one of the bodies and placed the dead woman's hands over her chest, "We should put them to rest," he said softly

Kodiak rolled his eyes; if his friend wanted to believe in a _higher power _then _yay_ for him, Kodiak on the other hand believed in being _practical_, "Colvin, they're dead, by the very definition of that word they _are _at rest, besides I would think their spirits would care more about us killing the fuckers that did this to them than what happens to the empty meat suits they left behind," he commented dryly.

Sarah knelt next to Colvin, "We'll be back, but right now we need to start hauling ass _immediately_, understand?"

Colvin turned his head to her, "Of course I do Sentinel Lyons I'm not a _fool_; it's just sometimes I hate what this job forces me to be." he said rising to his feet.

Sarah smiled knowingly, "Yeah, _some_ career choice we made; _I_ just wanted to shoot big guns and hang out with pretty boys; I should _kill_ my student advisor."

Kodiak and Colvin both gave a dry chuckle.

"Are you done whining like school girls, or would you like me to ask whatever is trying to kill us if it wouldn't mind taking a _timeout_ while you finish up?" demanded Gallows coldly.

"Ease up Grumpy, we're moving," stated Sarah ushering the squad out the door.

Gallows was the deadliest warrior in the Brotherhood of Steel, but in the 14 years he had been with them he hadn't really taken part in the traditional camaraderie. In fact he had done everything he could to keep his distance from his new comrades, from going out on solo ops for six months at a time, to allowing rumors to spread that he was a psychotic killer and growling when people got too close to him. If you even _tried_ to broach the topic of his past he would tell you in no uncertain terms to fuck off, although if it was _Elder Lyons_ who asked the question he was kind enough to make it fuck off _sir_.

Sarah rounded a corner and paused, holding up a fist. The squad came to a stop behind her and crouched down, weapons ready.

_There's that fucking quiet again_

Sarah moved slowly down the hall and came to a stop just short of the doorway leading to the next room. Sarah removed a small mirror from her belt and crouched down next to the door. Positioning the mirror next to the floor she checked the contents of the next room. Crouching behind a heavy desk were two large super mutants that were trying to look inconspicuous and failing _magnificently._

_Super Mutants laying a trap; __**that's**__ something new, even if they __**are**__ going about it like hippos in a china shop._

Sarah turned to her team holding up two fingers and pointed towards the room. They nodded and Sarah removed a flash grenade from her belt and tossed it around the corner and into the room. There was an explosion of loud noise and bright white light and the Pride burst into the room and let loose a firestorm of bullets, plasma, and laser beams on the Super Mutants. A four second fire fight ensued in which the Super Mutants took over a dozen shots before finally taking a hint and dropping dead.

"Fuckers _never_ go down easy," muttered Sarah.

"Keep moving," she ordered.

Before the Pride could exit the room however one of the walls came crashing down and three more Super Mutants surged through the newly created opening. One tackled Gallows, driving him to the ground. The ugly bastard let loose a roar and began pounding on Gallows chest with its fists creating a loud metallic clang and putting a dent in his power armor. Gallows thrust his hips upwards; bucking the big green bastard off. He then brought his legs up and wrapped them around the super mutant's neck and pulling the mutant back down towards him where he immediately began punching it in the face, the mutant screamed in terror until the third punch caved in its skull and its body went limp.

One of the other two beauty contest winners came charging at Sarah with a rusty sword. She fired her laser rifle into its chest; the beam ripped through the ugly bastard's chest plate and the smell of burned meat filled the room, but Mr. Hideous just kept coming. Too close now to squeeze off another shot Sarah snatched the trench knife from her belt and brought it up, blocking the blow of the sword. The gears of her power armor groaned and whined as her suit matched the strength of the sword's impact. Sarah lashed out with her leg, ramming her boot into the mutant's chest and driving it back. The beast stumbled back several steps and Sarah lined up another shot with her laser rifle, firing a beam straight into the big green bastards face, and splattering the contents of its head across the room.

The final Super Mutant was firing a sawed off shotgun at Kodiak; the gun must have seen better days however because the shots just bounced off his power armor. Colvin raised his sniper rifle and sent a bullet into the mutant's brain.

"One more mutant released from its torment," he said softly.

"Move!" shouted Sarah.

The team ran from the room and towards the building's exit.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Vargas ducked down as a stream of bullets zipped overhead, as soon as the bullets stopped he popped back up and emptied the contents of his assault rifle into a second story landing; a few seconds later three mutants fell from the building dead.

Vargas quickly took note of the state of his troops; they were doing extraordinarily well considering they had never _actually_ been trained to handle a situation like this; Vargas was dangerously close to being proud.

Still the pride he almost felt wasn't much consolation when you _considered_ the fact that they were surrounded by big ugly green bastards, cut off from reinforcements, and without air support.

Vargas watched as the 50 cals on the Humvees ripped into a charging mass of ugly, filling the green bastards with holes and dropping them to the ground dead.

He slammed a new magazine into his assault rifle and took aim at the mutant trying to play sniper on the roof of the adjacent building. He sent a stream of bullets into the beast's face and it dropped like a ton of rocks.

They may be outnumbered and surrounded but with the losses the mutants were taking it wouldn't be long before they broke and run. The ugly bastards may be making changes to their strategy, but Vargas doubted that one of those changes involved marching their big green asses straight into mutie heaven.

"_REEEEEEER!"_

Vargas flinched as a shrill shrieking roar filled the early morning air.

_Right now I think I have a fairly good idea how Custer felt when he and his men were being hacked limb from limb by a couple thousand pissed off tribal warriors._

Vargas turned to his troops, "We got a Behemoth! Prep the missile launcher!"

The initiates frantically rummaged through the stockpile of weapons, "Fuck! It must have been in the other Humvee!"

They turned to Vargas, "What do we do sir!"

"_Calm down_ and _breathe_. What do we have that's big, flashy, and makes a real nice bang?"

The initiates turned back to the weapons stock pile, "Umm, two gatling lasers, four mini guns, and a mortar."

"_REEEEEEER!"_

The initiates flinched under the roar of the approaching monster.

Vargas forced calm into his voice and snapped his fingers grabbing his troops' attention, "We got a mortar, and I _like _mortars, so bring up the mortar and let's teach this big ugly bastard a lesson," he said coolly.

"Yes sir!"

Vargas took the mortar and loaded it, placing it on the ground as he waited for Big Ugly to come calling. He didn't need to wait long, the 25 foot tall 40,000 pounds of green killing power soon poked its head around the corner at the far end of the street.

"_Easy_ knights; he's green, ugly, and has a disproportionate package; we're the _real_ bad asses on this block and we're much prettier to boot."

The initiates chuckled as Vargas lined up his shot.

_500 feet _he judged.

Vargas fired the mortar and the top of the building next to the Behemoth exploded and rained down shrapnel. _A little to the right._ Vargas fired again and this time scored a hit on the Behemoth's shoulder. The creature roared in pain but it was far from out of the fight, its eyes swept the street looking for its attacker. Catching sight of the knights crouched behind the two humvees it charged. Vargas fired the mortar again, this time the ground in front of the Behemoth exploded and the creature stumbled and tripped to the ground.

_Still not dead_

"Give me another shell!" shouted Vargas.

The knights rummaged in the ammo boxes, "Jesus! That was the last one!"

_Who the __**fuck**__ packs a mortar with just __**three**__ shells? If I survive this someone's getting their ass kicked_

"Then hit that big bastard with everything we _do_ have!" he barked.

The soldiers opened up with the lasers and mini guns along with the 50 cals from the humvees. The Behemoth shrieked in agony as the Brotherhood rained hell down upon it, but it still managed to get to its feet, even under the cloak of fire. The monster shook off the bullets, releasing a defiant roar as it charged its attackers.

_Huh…so this is how it ends_, thought Vargas as he stared into that big green bastard's fiery eyes.

The world seemed to slow down for Vargas as the reality of his situation hit home, he watched as his troops fearlessly ripped into the Behemoth with everything they had, and knew with certainty that they did _not_ have enough.

_I'm sorry Sarah; I know this is going to piss you off, but it looks like you're going to have to finish this one on your own_

The world began to pick up speed again as the Behemoth got closer and before he knew it Vargas found himself staring up at the charging mass of ugly as it came barreling down on the Humvees.

_Well one thing is for sure; this asshole is sure as shit_ _going to know it was in a fight with Brotherhood Knights. _

Vargas raised his assault rifle and pointed it at the Behemoth; the Big Ugly Bastard actually seemed to take notice as Vargas could swear to God its next roar was aimed directly at him.

"_REEEEEEEER!"_

"Yeah? Well _fuck_ you too," replied Vargas pulling the trigger.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Glade slithered around the Super Mutants who were flooding the street trying to get at his Humvee.

"_DIE!_ YOU FUCKERS! _DIE!_" screamed Dusk, ripping into them with the Humvee's 50 cal.

Glade grinned, "I _do_ love me a screamer," he said loud enough for her to hear.

"_Freak," _she retorted.

Glade chuckled.

He pulled the hand brake and spun the Humvee around the corner. As he did so he noticed a Super Mutant standing in the road. Smiling like a mad man Glade gunned the engine and splattered its green ugly ass across the street.

_You just got schooled, __**Glade Style!**_

"Nice!" shouted Dusk appreciatively.

"Thanks, how many points for _this_ asshole?" asked Glade, gesturing to the Super Mutant dangerously close to the side of the street.

"Two for an arm, five for a leg, ten for sending him to mutie heaven,"

"You're on!"

Glade let the Humvee drift to the right and popped open the passenger side door, laughing as it smashed into the mutant's head, snapping its neck.

"And he's _down_ folks!" shouted Glade theatrically.

"So what do I _win?_" he asked slyly.

"Me, _not_ kicking your ass for the tone of that question," replied Dusk.

Glade laughed, "We're coming up on our twenty," he said, giving her a heads up.

Glade spun around the next corner and arrived at the back of the news station, he could hear weapons fire in the distance.

_Guess Old Vargas is teaching the initiates the finer points of kicking the shit out of Super Mutants._

"I'm going to circle around,"

Glade drove around to the side of the station where he was able to view the entrance, and off in the distance, a Super Mutant Behemoth tearing into his brothers in arms and tossing their Humvees in the air like fucking rag dolls.

Dusk's face went white beneath her helmet, _"NO!"_

Glade stared at the slaughter for a moment, his face expressionless. A _very_ dangerous switch had just been flipped in his mind, and Glade could feel his humor being drained from his body and replaced by something else, something _dark._

The reason Glade could take anything his enemies threw at him and just laugh it the fuck off was because too him it wasn't personal, it was survival, kill or be killed, they tried to kill him, he tried to kill them right back; that was how things worked. But the second someone fucked with his friends he would stop at nothing to make sure the son of a bitch who did it died screaming.

Glade allowed the rage and hatred that he kept buried under miles of sarcasm to come rushing to the surface; he bared his teeth into a snarl,_ I'm gonna make you pay for that you son of a bitch, __**count on it!**_

"_Get_ me the _fucking_ missile launcher," he growled at Dusk.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Sarah and her team came crashing through GBC29's front entrance, a couple dozen super mutants hot on their asses.

Gallows and Kodiak raised their weapons and poured bullets and plasma back through the entrance at the charging mass of green fury not twenty feet behind them.

Sarah ripped four grenades from her belt and started keying the detonators, "FRAG OUT!" she roared.

Sarah hurled the grenades as far into the building as she could and hit the ground along with the rest of the Pride. A split second later a massive fiery explosion emanated from inside the building followed by the agonized screams of a dozen or so super mutants caught in the blast.

"Keep moving!" she shouted, rising to her feet.

"Where _too?"_ demanded Gallows coldly, already back on his feet and staring behind them to where Vargas and the initiates were entrenched.

Sarah turned and watched as a Super Mutant Behemoth tore into Vargas's position. The hideous creature latched on to one of the Humvees and tossed it into the air, then proceeded to rip apart the initiates who had been taking cover behind it.

"VARGAS!"

Sarah's laser rifle was in her hands and raised, but before she could take three steps Gallows was behind her, one hand on the rifle shoving it down and against her hip, the other grabbing her right hand and twisting it behind her in an arm lock.

"You might want to rethink that," he hissed in her ears.

Rage flared up inside her, "Get…your…hands…off…of…me…_NOW!_" she growled.

Gallows grunted and released the arm lock and stepped back, "We go charging into that mess we're all dead, we need to regroup and blow the fuck out of town before any more of these assholes start showing up,"

"WE DON'T LEAVE PEOPLE BEHIND!" snarled Sarah.

She turned to Kodiak and Colvin, "Are you fucking with me or not?"

"You really have to ask?" demanded Kodiak, loading a fresh micro fusion cell and fixing Gallows with a glare.

"It's too late," stated Colvin softly, staring through the scope of his rifle "They're all dead,"

Sarah had to close her eyes for a second to process that, _all dead, Vargas, the initiates, all of them_.

Sarah shook her head and bared her teeth, "We're going to make these fuckers pay," she said in a growl.

Forcing calm into her voice she turned to Gallows, "But not today, we're moving out, Control needs to know what happened here."

The Pride nodded in confirmation and proceeded to make their way away from the building, they didn't get far.

The Behemoth had apparently finished dancing on the corpses of their comrades as it had now decided to take notice of the four knights moving slowly away from it. It let loose an ear splitting roar and charged, knocking aside the overturned cars in between it and the Pride. Its charge fell short however as a missile collided with its chest plate, sending it crashing to the ground. But it still wasn't dead; the beast was groaning and slowly trying to get back up.

Sarah's attention was drawn to a rapidly honking horn; she turned her gaze and saw Glade leaning out the door of a Humvee with a missile launcher in his hands.

"Jesus Christ! Take a fucking picture already we need to move!" he roared.

Sarah and what was left of Lyon's Pride ran to the Humvee and hopped inside; once the doors were closed Glade spun the wheels and took off.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason brought the hover bike to a stop and listened to the wind, it was nearing daybreak and he was still a few hours away from Washington Naval Yard. The broken terrain was making it difficult to travel and even on a hover bike the best he could manage was 30 miles an hour, but Jason wasn't in a hurry. He was taking the time to familiarize himself with the new terrain, having had a few days to adjust it didn't _quite_ fill him with as much grief and murderous rage as it had when he first lain eyes on it. Most of the Capital Wasteland was in an advanced stage of desertification, the days were too hot and the nights were too cold, and the only wildlife he had seen were rats the size of cats that ran away at the sight of him and gigantic scorpions that tried like hell to kill him whenever he stopped for a break.

He absentmindedly twirled a stinger in his hand, the things were sharp and he was pretty sure he could find a use for his growing collection, if nothing else he could always toss them into an IED. Jason had the unusual distinction of being one of the few Delta Operators that actually _enjoyed_ the hellacious survival courses the Army tortured them with as part of their yearlong training regimen. There wasn't an environment on the planet, nuclear wasteland included, that he couldn't bend to his will and make work for him.

Jason closed his eyes and focused in on the noise that had made him stop the bike, it was distant but he could still hear the distinctive rat-a-tat-tat of machine gun fire on the wind.

_Nine miles…South East_

He brought up his Pip-Boy and viewed the satellite imaging of the area checking for the location.

"Charlottesville," he muttered.

Jason zoomed in on the city and repositioned the satellite to scan over it until finally he saw the flash of an explosion. He marked the location on his Pip-Boy and set off on his bike. It took him about 25 minutes to reach the city, and by the time he passed the "Welcome to Charlottesville!" sign it was pretty damn obvious there was a serious battle raging somewhere inside the township.

As he entered the town he could see that even though Charlottesville didn't appear to have been hit by any bombs it was most definitely suffering the effects of 200 years of neglect. The buildings were still mostly standing but the streets were covered with a layer of sand two feet deep and filled with the decaying wreckage of overturned cars. It looked like massive rioting had taken place in the city before it had been abandoned, either emptied out when the radiation had swept down or possibly evacuated beforehand.

_It must have been Hell on Earth_, thought Jason, imagining the kind of horror the people in this town must have faced. They were all long dead, but it didn't really feel that way to him, from his perspective it was only last week that the people here had been going about their lives, going to work in the morning, bitching about their boss with friends around lunch, dinner with the family in the evening…nuclear holocaust on the weekend.

Just when Jason thought he couldn't possibly feel anymore shame or anger about what had happened to this planet, he stumbled upon a nice subtle reminder like this. He was slowly discovering that there was no limit on the amount of rage and hatred a person could carry in their heart; there was _always_ room for more.

Jason mentally shook off the feeling of blood on his hands and slowed the bike to a crawl as he approached the next corner; he could smell smoke and charred flesh on the wind. He rounded the bend and entered a street littered with smoking craters and the corpses of big green monsters. Near the end of the street was the smoking wreckage of two beat up Humvees, and scattered around the vehicles were the limp bodies of soldiers in beat up T-45 power armor.

He hopped off the bike and moved among the soldiers, flipping over bodies and checking for signs of life; there didn't appear to be any.

"_Arrgh!"_

Jason pulled his pistol and walked around one of the overturned Humvees. Leaning against the broken down vehicle was a soldier with a large piece of shrapnel sticking out of the side of his chest. The man had lost his helmet, so Jason could see he was in his late thirties, and judging from the blood leaking from his mouth, dying fast.

"How's it going?" asked Jason, lowering the gun.

"Who the fuck are _you_?" grunted the soldier.

"Jason Wolfe, you got a name or shall I make one up for you? 'Asshole bleeding in the street' kind of has a nice ring to it," said Jason conversationally, holstering his revolver, and popping open the supply trunk on the Humvee.

"Adam Vargas," replied the soldier, chuckling painfully.

Jason sorted through the various boxes in the supply trunk until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a blow torch and a white case and then knelt down next to Vargas.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Vargas,"

Jason ignited the blow torch and went to work cutting through the hinges of Vargas's Power Armor.

"I take it you're one of those Brotherhood of Steel bad asses I've been hearing about," said Jason, making an effort to keep the man talking.

"Your powers of observation are simply astounding," replied Vargas dryly.

Jason was through the first three hinges, "Oh, I got a smart ass on my hands…_wonderful_."

"So what happened here? Looks like you had one hell of a party."

"What this?" asked Vargas, weakly gesturing around at the massacre.

"What can I say, when super mutants crash the picnic shit gets fucking wild," he said wearily.

Jason cut through the last of the hinges then popped open the case and took out a syringe and a bottle of Med-X.

"You do realize you're wasting your time right?" said Vargas tiredly, "I can practically _smell_ the damn buzzards circling up above, no sense wasting drugs on a corpse."

"Mind if I confirm that one for myself?" said Jason dryly.

Vargas shrugged, "Knock yourself out,"

"Thanks, this is going to hurt like hell, so here's something to take away the sting," he said filling the syringe.

Jason injected the syringe into the man's neck.

"Huh, the sky's actually blue today," chuckled Vargas staring up at the heavens.

The sky was actually its usual depressing shade of grey but Jason decided to let the man enjoy his drug induced illusions.

"That's right buddy, ride that bus _all the way_ to Neverland."

Jason gripped the piece of shrapnel and pulled it out, he then removed the man's armor. Blood poured from the gaping wound. Jason grabbed a stimpack from the case and injected it into the man's stomach, the flow of blood slowed, but it didn't stop. _Not good_. Jason examined the wound more closely; the shrapnel had pierced a kidney which meant there was nothing to do now but watch the man die.

"Told you…I was…dead." grunted Vargas.

"So you did, do you want a prize for being right?" asked Jason filling another syringe with Med-X, enough for an overdose.

Vargas stared off into the distance, "I think some might have survived," he said softly.

Jason could still hear explosions and machine gun fire somewhere in the city, "I think you may be right," he agreed.

"Do you …think you could…do me a favor?" asked the soldier.

"Maybe, what do you want?" asked Jason.

"Could you…help them out?" asked Vargas his voice becoming a whisper.

Jason turned towards the gun fire and thought it over for a few seconds, then turned back and smiled at Vargas "Yeah, I guess I can lend a helping hand if you want,"

"Appreciate it…" said Vargas grimacing from a sudden flash of pain

"Here, this will help you get some sleep," said Jason injecting the syringe into Vargas's arm.

Vargas's eyes closed and his breathing slowed.

"Happy travels soldier," whispered Jason

Jason reached into the med kit and pulled out a few packaged syringes of Psycho and stored them in a pouch on his belt. He then stood and faced the direction of the ongoing battle, listening for some indication of what the hell was going on.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

Let me known what you think of part one! Work of brilliance? Its okay, but you really just like it as a _friend_? Or is it the worse tragedy since George Bush's reelection? Praise me, Flame me, don't care just let me know in your review.


	7. Session 07: The Meat Grinder :2:

So here's Part 2, sorry for the delay; I have a new job and The Man's been keeping me down. I'm hoping to get the final part of this arc up before the month is out, but unfortunately I can't make any promises.

As usual you'll find this chapter's playlist on my author's page, so go rock out and enjoy the story

* * *

"Two Ugly Wagons six O' clock!" shouted Glade looking into the rear view mirror.

Sarah turned her head and saw two beat up trucks filled with snarling green bastards turn onto the street behind them. _I hate my fucking life._

Sarah leaned out the window and targeted the truck that was coming up along side them and aimed a shot at the ugly sitting behind the wheel. The laser beam hit him between the eyes and the truck swerved off the road and into a building. Sarah shifted her aim to the next truck but was forced to duck back in the humvee as the Super Mutants in the back sent a storm of bullets her way.

Dusk flipped the turret around and pounded a stream of bullets into the trucks engine compartment, setting it on fire. The truck crashed into a power pole and exploded.

"I would _really_ like to put this fucking city behind us now!" roared Dusk.

"No one likes a gunner seat driver!" snapped Glade, sliding the humvee around the next corner.

"Oh _fuck_ me," groaned Sarah.

The road they had come in on was now blocked by three two turret APCs, with six snarling uglies in the gunner seats. Glade pulled the hand brake and spun the humvee around just as the APCs sent a stream of bullets their way. Gallows leaned out the window and targeted the middle APC with the missile launcher. There was a massive explosion as his missile breached the APC's fuel storage and it went up in flames. The shots from the other two APCs went wild as smoke from the destroyed vehicle clouded their vision. Glade gunned the engine and sent the humvee flying around the next bend before they could get their aim back.

"What the _fuck_ are those assholes doing with that kind of hardware!" demanded Kodiak.

Sarah shrugged, after today she was done assuming _anything_ about the Super Mutants, if they could hide hundreds of their ugly asses inside a city, and _right under her fucking nose_, they could probably do a whole hell of a lot more as well. All that mattered now was getting back to the Citadel and letting her father know of the changes to the Super Mutants play book.

Kodiak tried the radio again but it was useless, they were still being jammed.

Sarah grabbed the map and located another route out of the city, one that would take them right through wide streets filled with tall buildings on either side. It was going to be a god damned sniper's delight but there wasn't any way around it; if _this_ route was blocked then they would _really_ be fucked. Sarah showed Glade the new route and he steered the humvee down a new street.

_**BANG!**_

Sarah felt the humvee give a violent shudder, and quickly looked over her shoulder. Standing on the road behind them was a Super Mutant aiming a sniper rifle. The green bastard prepared to squeeze off another shot, only to have his brains blow out the back of his head when Colvin leaned out the window with _his _sniper rifle.

Glade brought the humvee to a stop, "Motherfucker got our tire!" he snapped, jumping down from the driver seat.

Glade walked around the back of the humvee and shouted back to Sarah, "I'm going to need 15 minutes to fix this!" he reported.

"Son of a _bitch_," groaned Sarah.

"Alright everyone out!" she roared.

Sarah hopped down onto the street and surveyed the terrain around them. She narrowed her eyes and tried to determine which direction the Super Mutants were most likely to come at them from. Given enough time they would come at them from _both_ directions but Sarah didn't plan on being here that long. She made her decision.

"Gallows, Kodiak! Get your asses over here!" she shouted.

Sarah grabbed onto one of the broken down cars lying on the side of the street and started dragging it into the middle of the road, the gears of her power armor straining against the weight of the four ton vehicle. Gallows and Kodiak each grabbed onto a car of their own and helped Sarah complete the barricade.

Once she was reasonably sure the rusty cars would soak up the bullets Sarah shouted to Dusk and Colvin, "Grab the ammo boxes out of the supply trunk!"

"You got it Boss!" shouted Dusk

The two of them came running up with a bunch of metal containers which they dropped next to the barricade; cracking them open they started passing out ammunition.

Sarah loaded a fresh micro fusion cell into her laser rifle, "Shoot down any inhuman son of a bitch that tries to get past us," she stated, taking up position behind the cars.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

There had been a short pause in explosions, and for a moment Jason thought someone had won, but now they started back up again. Luckily for Jason the fire fight was now fixed to just _one_ location and it was only a few blocks away. Jason scanned the buildings around him looking for a good vantage point and found a parking garage near to where the explosions were coming from. The building was five stories high so it would give him a good view of what was happening. Jason drove his bike up the ramp of the parking structure, past a broken automated toll booth and straight to the top floor. The garage was filled with decaying cars in various states of disrepair, Jason could see that some had at one time been pretty sweet rides; it was a damn shame for them to be rusting out the remainder of their existence in a deserted ruin. Jason grinned, he could imagine what a few of his ex-girlfriends might think about that thought; _you care more about your car than you do about me you son of a bitch!_ He had heard statements like that more than a few times throughout his adult life, they were usually followed by; _you never open up! why won't you talk to me!_ Jason shook his head; he had learned a long time ago that he sucked at relationships, something in him was just broken and it wasn't ever getting fixed. Eventually the women in his life came to the same conclusion, and if they were really lucky they got there with some of their sanity still intact. _Relationships_ were complicated, _cars_ on the other hand were simple, you gave them gas, polished the hood, and kept the engine running; he had once heard someone say relationships were the same way, but in Jason's humble opinion that someone was a _fucking idiot_.

Jason reached the top floor of the garage and watched for a moment as the morning sun crept over the horizon. _Still as beautiful as ever, I guess some things never change_, he thought lazily. The explosions below the parking structure drew Jason's attention back to earth. Jason hopped off the bike and reached into the storage compartment. He pulled out the R91 Assault Rifle and slung it over his back then reached in and grabbed out the Scoped M72 Gauss Rifle; slamming a new magazine into the rifle he made his way to the edge of the building and stared down into the street below him.

_Well this is interesting_

Below him, towards the end of the street, a squad of soldiers in beat up power armor were hunkered down behind a barricade of broken cars. And charging the barricade were over thirty of the greenest, _ugliest_, motherfuckers Jason had ever laid eyes on.

_Didn't think it was possible, but those bastards are even __**more**__ hideous when they're still pumping oxygen_, mused Jason, thinking back to the huge bloody green corpses scattered around the destroyed humvees.

Jason analyzed the Super Mutants below him. They were seven feet tall and had more muscle than a gorilla chugging steroids. And the big green bastards came in a variety pack too; ranging in size from huge, to _fucking huge_, to run the fuck away and don't look back. They didn't appear to be overly smart though; the ones below him were charging the soldiers' barricade and getting shredded like fucking confetti.

Just when Jason thought the soldiers might not really need his help after all something massive suddenly smashed into his mind, and for a split second Jason felt an all consuming hatred well up within him, and a presence urging him to attack and kill the Brotherhood soldiers, there was more to the command but Jason wasn't having it. An ancient and primordial rage welled up inside him; it was the kind of rage that was generated when a predator intruded upon another predator's territory. Jason took hold of that rage and lashed out at the presence invading his mind; the intruder was immediately dissolved by the heat of Jason's fury.

As soon as contact with the invading presence was broken a flash of pain stabbed Jason in his temple.

"_Motherfucker!" _he hissed rubbing forehead.

Jason didn't know how it happened, but _something_ had just intruded upon a _very_ private area…and _something_ was going to die a very _very_ painful death when he found it.

Jason's attention was drawn back to the fire fight below as the Super Mutants suddenly changed tactics and ducked inside the buildings on either side of the street for cover, and then began…_chanting?_

It was quiet and incomprehensible at first but soon built into a roar.

"JUGGERNOT! JUGGERNOT! JUGGERNOT!"

"What the fuck…?"

Jason wasn't the only one disturbed by the turn of events; the soldiers behind the barricade quit firing and began scanning the street, looking extremely agitated.

Suddenly two humongous Super Mutants appeared at the far end of the street. Each was over 10 feet tall and packed with enough muscle to rip the plates off a tank, and they were each covered in armor, and sporting heavy firepower. The one in the lead, sporting a mini gun in each hand, began spraying the soldiers with a firestorm of bullets. The second one was carrying a heavy incinerator, the big bastard pointed the weapon at the soldiers and a launched a fuel cell in their direction, the canister smashed into the barricade setting fire to the broken down cars.

The Super Mutants all let out a massive roar and surged from the cover of the buildings to swarm the pinned down soldiers.

Jason gripped the gauss rifle and took aim at the ugly with the mini guns.

"_No one _gets inside my fucking head," he growled.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

"Glade! Hurry the _fuck_ up!" roared Sarah flipping her laser rifle to scatter shot and sending a shotgun blast of laser beams into the uglies fleeing for cover.

Kodiak lowered his plasma rifle as the last of the uglies cleared the street and began chanting.

"Umm…Sarah? What the fuck is going on here?" he asked tensely.

"I think you might want to see if you can light a fire on the repairs," replied Sarah calmly, shoving a fresh micro fusion cell into her laser rifle.

Kodiak nodded and took off for the humvee.

Sarah turned to Gallows, "Do you know what's happening?"

Gallows nodded, "Juggernaut…_Overlord_,"

Sarah cursed, "As if this day wasn't bad enough already,"

"We got Heavies!"

She reached down and picked up a Gatling Laser and aimed it down the street just as the two Overlords appeared. Sarah bared her teeth into a snarl and pulled the trigger; a three second blast of directed energy emanated from the laser and then it died. Sarah dropped the laser to the ground screaming a string of obscenities.

"Hit those fuckers with everything you got!" she snarled.

Dusk and Colvin leaned out of cover with their sniper rifles and fired half a dozen rounds into the ugly carrying the mini guns. The bullets impacted the Overlord's chest, sending up a spray of blood, but the Overlord didn't seem to notice or care, instead he just pointed his mini guns at the barricade and pounded the Pride with bullets.

The other Overlord then raised a heavy incinerator and fired a fuel cell into the barricade, setting it a blaze.

"We're pulling back!" shouted Sarah

Sarah turned to Gallows, "Wait until those assholes are right on top of the barricade then hit the charges. I want those big green bastards deep fried and extra crispy."

She turned her gaze to Dusk, "Get on the turret and shred every ugly green motherfucker who manages to make it past our fireworks. _Now! _Go!"

Sarah backed away from the barricade and knelt to the ground, laser rifle in hand. Once the Mutants were past the barricade it was only a matter of time until they were overrun; Sarah wasn't the praying type, but right now, she was _praying hard _for a miracle.

Sarah took aim at the Super Mutant with the mini guns; _well, if this is it, I'm sure as __**hell **__going down swinging. _Sarah waited for the right time to fire, and it came, but not for her.

_**WAM!**_

There was a very loud metallic clang as a magnetically accelerated round impacted the Overlord's helmet. The mini guns fell from the Overlord's hands and he dropped to one knee, however he didn't appear to understand that a metal slug moving at high velocity had just entered his head, if he did he would have been dead and not looking to get back up.

_**WAM!**_

The second shot drove the point home. The Overlord collapsed to the ground, and the Super Mutants, all of them, stopped in their tracks and lifted their noses to the air, sniffing at some strange new scent, they then completely forgot about murdering Lyons Pride and began searching for the mysterious new attacker.

Another shot rang out and another Super Mutant fell to the ground lifeless, then another, and another, until it became very clear the sniper was sitting on top of the parking garage and they all opened fire.

Gallows cocked his head, "Well _they're _having fun, want me to ask if we can play too?" he inquired, turning to Sarah

Sarah grinned and turned her eyes to the sky, "Maybe you aren't asleep at the wheel after all," she whispered.

Sarah addressed the squad, "_Tear_ those fuckers apart," she growled.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason loaded another round into the Gauss Rifle's chamber and took aim at the second Big Ass Super Mutant. He put the ugly's head in his crosshairs and pulled the trigger. The magnetic accelerator along the rifle's barrel crackled with electricity, _too much electricity_; next thing Jason knew there was a loud _clang_ and a crack suddenly appeared in the rifle's magnetic coils. Jason threw the rifle to the ground cursing.

"Rusty piece of 200 year old garbage! Ain't that _just_ like the fucking Army, _never_ thinking ahead…" Jason's rant trailed off as he grabbed the assault rifle off his back and took aim at the Massive Super Mutant.

The Big Bastard lifted its heavy incinerator into the air, taking aim at Jason.

Jason narrowed his eyes, "Eat shit and die," he growled, lining up the sight.

Jason released a torrent of bullets into the Super Mutants head, blinding the creature and causing it to scream in pain, but still not killing it. Jason loaded another magazine into the rifle and took aim again; only to have his shots go wide as the building he was perched on gave a violent shudder. Jason's eyes caught sight of a Super Mutant reloading a single shot grenade launcher, the Mutant took aim again and Jason had just enough time to file a grievance with God before the floor beneath him collapsed and he was sent tumbling into the street below.

If there ever came a point in Jason's life where he was asked the question of what it would feel like to fall five stories from a parking garage and land on a pile of hard rubble; he felt confident in his ability to provide an answer…_it hurts_.

Jason could feel something warm running down the side of his head, and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open; he tried to remember what he was doing sprawled on the ground; it seemed a very odd place to be.

_Fuck it, it can't be __**that**_ _important, _decided Jason

Jason's eyes fluttered closed and he drifted into a black void…only to be pulled back from the edge as strong arms gripped him by his shoulders and lifted him a few feet into the air. Jason reluctantly opened his eyes to face the 7 foot tall, 500 pounds of Green Ugly currently dangling him in the air.

The Super Mutant barred its teeth into a snarl; a low rumbling emitted from its throat, as a cloud of bad breath hit Jason's face full force. The breath more than anything else served to return Jason to his senses. It was all still a little foggy, but Jason was _reasonably _sure that he wanted to _kill_ the thing with the diarrhea breath, he wasn't sure why exactly, but he could figure that out later.

Jason rammed his forehead into the ugly's face; it didn't really cause the mutant that much damage, but at least Jason's effort was rewarded with a splitting head ache and more warm stuff dripping down his head.

_Hey! I can fly!_ Jason thought excitedly, as his body was suddenly sent soaring through the air. Jason crashed through a concrete wall and landed hard on the floor of an abandoned building.

"Really got to learn how to stick the _landing_," grumbled Jason incoherently.

The ugly green bastard with the bad breath leapt through the building's newly created opening and landed on top of Jason. The mutant then proceeded to hammer Jason's chest with its powerful fists. Jason's chest plate was soon transformed into a slab of warped metal as the beast rained down heavy punches strong enough to dent a tank. But on the upside Jason slowly regained his senses as his ribs began to crack under the beating, when the mutant brought its fist down on Jason's head in addition to seeing stars he suddenly remembered _exactly_ why he wanted to kill this big son of a bitch.

The mutant roared and brought its fist down on Jason again, but this time it didn't make contact. Jason caught the heavy fist in his hand and turned his head to stare into the eyes of the monster trying to kill him. Locking eyes with the beast, a murderous grin spread across Jason's face and he squeezed the monster's fist in his hand, snapping the bones and causing the mutant to howl in agony. Jason then lashed out with his other hand, taking hold of the monster's neck, he began digging his finger nails into its wind pipe; getting himself a good grip on the mutants esophagus he gave it a hard jerk. Blood sprayed from the ugly's neck as Jason ripped out its throat.

The mutant collapsed on top of him and Jason got to his feet shoving off the heavy corpse as he did so.

Jason ripped off the warped chest plate and tossed it to the ground; _if these fuckers are going to be an everyday occurrence I'm going to need something a lot stronger_.

Jason stumbled out of the building and onto the street where over thirty Super Mutants were waiting for him along with the giant bastard he had blinded, who was currently stumbling around the street screaming and crashing into shit.

The Super Mutants weren't shooting at him, instead they circled him with curious eyes; it wasn't everyday a Bleeder managed to kill one of their own in a fight; _especially_ if they weren't using stupid power armor to cheat. The Mutants waited for orders on how to deal with this new situation.

Jason rested his hand over his pistol, waiting for the inevitable moment when this Mexican Standoff dissolved into more bloodshed.

Suddenly the presence that had invaded his mind earlier was back in full force, and this time it was speaking.

_CAPTURE THE HUMAN_

Jason pulled the pistol from its holster, _"Just fucking try it," _he hissed.

The Super Mutants let out a low growl as they closed in on him; Jason emptied the pistol into six of the assholes, dropping them all to the ground. The Super Mutants slowed their advance and bared their teeth in unconcealed murderous rage.

Jason held up a finger, "Hold that thought, need to _reload_" he deadpanned.

Jason reached into his ammo pouch to pull out some more rounds but came up empty.

"Damn," Jason looked to the Super Mutants "Hey do you guys have any .44 rounds I can borrow? I promise I'll give them right back," he said, as if he were asking to borrow a cup of sugar.

The Mutants opened fire on him; _Well, I guess we're done fucking around,_ decided Jason coldly. Jason dashed to the nearest Super Mutant, pulling a combat knife from his belt he jabbed the blade into the Mutant's spinal cord. Taking hold of the paralyzed body, Jason turned the bleeding asshole toward its fellow green bastards and used it to soak up the bullets.

Just as Jason began contemplating a way out of the fucked up situation he had found himself in, the _situation_ changed status from fucked up to _very_ fucked up. The Brotherhood soldiers behind the barricade had regrouped and were opening fire into the crowd of Mutants clustered around Jason, so now he had the joy of dodging bullets and laser beams from _every_ direction.

Jason grabbed a beat up pistol dangling from the belt of the mutant he was currently using as a meat shield and aimed a few shots at the ugly bastards charging at him. The bullets practically _bounced_ off their flesh. The lack of quality in the weapons of this world was _really_ starting to piss him off_._

Jason dropped the gun and gripped the 500 pounds of dead ugly between him and the charging Super Mutants. Taking hold of the green bastard's body he lifted it over his head and threw it into the charging mass of steroid abuse. The dead Mutant collided with his comrades sending three of them crashing to the ground.

Before the Mutants could get a clue Jason took to the sky; _roaring_ like a tiger ripping into its prey Jason pounced on the Super Mutants.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Sarah had already put this morning down as the craziest seven hours of her life. So when the man in the pre-war combat armor had been blasted off the parking structure with a grenade launcher, and then lived to be pissed off about it Sarah just took it all in her stride. She did however take a moment to evaluate this new development, and ordered the Pride to hold fire.

Sarah watched as the man was picked up and dangled in the air by one of the ugly green monsters, and then thrown through the wall of a building. She watched the Super Mutant leap in after him, and then watched as 30 seconds later the man emerged alone from the building, covered in dark red mutie blood.

Dusk turned to Sarah, "Shouldn't we be doing something to help?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow, "We don't _help_ Super Mutants Dusk, we _kill _them,"

Dusk tilted her head confused, "What…oh…_funny,_" retorted Dusk angrily.

"This guy saves our asses, the _least _we could do is throw a few bullets at the assholes surrounding him," snapped the Knight Sergeant bitterly.

"Hold fire until I say otherwise," stated Sarah coldly.

Not that she wasn't grateful to the man for showing up and saving her and her knights from the meat grinder, but the fact was _he_ wasn't her responsibility, the Pride _was_. And if taking advantage of the distraction created by his presence meant leaving him to fend for himself, then she would clear it with her conscience later, if there _was_ a later; _that _possibility was still up in the air.

Glade ran up to her, "Humvee's fixed…the fuck is going on here?" he asked looking at the Mexican Standoff between the mysterious stranger and the thirty some Super Mutants surrounding him.

"Get the engine running, and hold position," ordered Sarah, ignoring the question.

Sarah turned to the rest of the Pride, "We need to draw those ugly assholes attention away from our dashing hero, and toward this barricade, once they're on top of it, we light the match then get the fuck back in the Humvee before the festivities start."

_"Finally," _grunted Dusk.

Sarah turned to Gallows who was staring at the man with fixed attention, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, or maybe…was_ afraid _to. _Strange fucking_ behavior for Gallows, Sarah had always been under the impression that _nothing_ surprised or impressed him. The man could keep his cool in the very depths of Hell; in fact if he ever _did_ actually wind up in Hell, he would most likely end up skewering the Devil with his own pitchfork and taking over control of the place. Sarah's mind flashed on the near infinite number of times Gallows had mercilessly cut down his enemies over the years, even against the most dangerous opponents his reaction to them could at _best_ be described as _bored_…no, something was _definitely _off about this, but she would have to meditate on it later.

"Gallows! GALLOWS!"

Gallows shook his head and turned to Sarah.

"Would you care to join the rest of us back on Earth?"

Gallows stared at Sarah through his visor for a moment, then cocked his head, "Have I _ever_ passed up an opportunity to kill something; _let's crash a party_." he said taking aim at the mutants with his old SOF Combat Assault Rifle.

Not for the first time Sarah wished he would remove his fucking helmet so she could get a feel for his emotions.

Colvin and Dusk took up position and started dividing the targets amongst themselves.

Kodiak loaded another plasma canister into his rifle and took aim as well, "Got your back buddy," he muttered towards the mysterious stranger.

Sarah took hold of her own rifle and gave the order.

"TAKE THEM DOWN!"

Shots rang out and bullets, laser beams, and globs of superheated matter were sent ripping through the Super Mutants. Soon the Pride had the Super Mutants attention divided between the five warriors pouring fire down their throat, and the psychotic bad ass ripping them apart from close in.

Sarah flashed a murderous grin as over a dozen Super Mutants charged the barricade.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

The Brotherhood's renewed presence had drawn off half the Super Mutants that were trying to shoot, stab, strangle, crush, or otherwise cause Jason bodily harm. The fact that he was forced to dance around their shots was a small price to pay for the distraction. Fighting these green bastards was a little different than butchering a dozen raiders; the raiders had all but bent over and pulled their pants down when Jason's boot had come calling. The Super Mutants on the other hand had a much higher bad ass factor. The weakest of them was almost as strong as he was and the big ones, the "Juggernauts" were considerably fucking stronger; long story short the Jolly Green Bastards were getting very close to ending the story that was Jason's life.

Jason ducked under the swing of a sledge hammer and slammed his fist into the heart of the ugly bastard who swung it; Jason heard ribs breaking as his knuckles made contact with the muscle pumping blood through the Mutants body. Jason felt the heart crush under the blow of his fist and the Mutant dropped to the ground gripping its chest.

Jason kicked the sledge hammer into his hands and swung it into the head of the nearest Mutant; he felt a rush of satisfaction as the creature's head caved in.

BAM!

Jason grimaced in pain as a sawed off shot gun blast suddenly hit him in the abdomen; he looked down to see the six pellet shaped holes leaking blood from his chest. Baring his teeth into a snarl he found the Mutant who had shot him. Jason closed the distance and punched his fist into the Mutant's throat, crushing its wind pipe, and sending it to the ground gasping for air.

Jason snatched the sawed off shotgun out of the air as it fell to the ground just in time to be tackled from behind by yet another super mutant. Jason twisted in the Mutants grip and shoved the barrel of the shotgun into the bastard's mouth, pulling the trigger, he blew the monster's brains out the back of its skull.

Jason dropped the shotgun and kicked off the heavy corpse.

He had now brought down eight of the sons of bitches since the standoff had ended and the voice had ordered them to capture him, but it came at a price. Jason had more broken bones than he cared to contemplate, and was leaking blood by the gallons; there was a strong possibility that he was going to die from his injuries. In fact it should have happened a while back; the shotgun blast wasn't the first hit the Mutants had scored on him. The only thing keeping him going was the rush of adrenaline and whatever was in the Super Vitamin Shot he had received from Chase.

There was a massive boom and heat singed the hairs on the back of Jason's neck as the Brotherhood barricade exploded, sending bodies flying through the air and obliterating half the street. The explosion rendered him temporarily deaf and once more sprawled on the ground. Getting to his knees Jason looked for any surviving Super Mutants. There were ten of them, and they all had eyes for him.

"It _never_ fucking ends," snarled Jason, getting to his feet.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

"Fallback!" roared Sarah making a run for the humvee.

Kodiak, Colvin, and Dusk broke contact with the mutants and took off for the humvee. Sarah risked a glance over her shoulder and saw Gallows pause as he looked back towards where the mystery man was engaged in a no holds brawl with the Super Mutants. The pause was only momentary but it was enough to confirm Sarah's suspicions that something was _definitely_ up with the deadliest warrior in her squad. The Pride jumped in the humvee just as a dozen Super Mutants leapt on top of the barricade they had just abandoned and started opening fire on them with their assault rifles. Sarah took the detonator from Gallows and _personally_ flipped the switch, looking back to watch as the barricade went up in flames and a fiery hell descended upon the Super Mutants.

Glade gunned the engine and the humvee took off and hauled ass away from the carnage.

"Who the _fuck_ was that back there?" he demanded, spinning the humvee around a corner.

Sarah glanced back at Gallows, "Not a fucking clue," she replied after a moment

Glade snorted, "Yeah, well whatever the fuck he was, I can say _one_ thing with absolute certainty; _it wasn't human_."

There was a general murmur of consent.

"_REEEEEEEER!"_

"Not again," groaned Sarah bitterly.

"Sounds like Big Ugly wants to play some more," said Dusk picking up the missile launcher and loading the last missile.

"Is _that_ going to be enough to take it down," asked Kodiak.

His question was greeted by silence.

"_Right,"_ he replied bitterly.

"_REEEEEEEER!"_

"It's about a half mile away," said Glade calculating the distance

"Should have brought a fucking Fat Man along for this ride!" snapped Kodiak.

"Let us not lament on missed opportunities," replied Colvin calmly.

There was another roar, this one a lot closer.

"He's hunting us," observed Gallows coldly

"Can you outrun it?" asked Sarah.

"On _these_ streets? Not a fucking chance," replied Glade.

Sarah pulled out the map again

"Fashion Square Mall," she stated reading off the name of the long abandoned shopping complex.

The back parking lot was the perfect spot for a Vertibird LZ, but that would mean banking on _a lot _of variables. Such as getting out of range of the Super Mutants signal jammer, being able to call in air support, and then being able to hold out for the thirty minutes it would take for the gun ships to arrive on location. But they were out of options; it was time to call a Hail Mary.

Sarah pointed out the building to Glade, "Make for the front entrance,"

Glade drove the car the four blocks to the mall, but was forced to slam on the brakes as the Behemoth exploded out of one of the buildings in front of them. The giant beast turned its gaze towards the humvee and let loose a massive roar. It couldn't be standing in a worse spot, up ahead Sarah could see the entrance to the mall, but between her and the entrance stood 30,000 pounds of snarling ugly. The Behemoth bared its teeth into a snarl and glared at the humvee, waiting for it to make the first move.

For a full three seconds there was nothing but quiet within the humvee as the realization that there were only two ways out of this situation began to sink in. The first one was death, and the second one…

"How many mines are left in the supply trunk?" asked Glade.

Dusk thought for a second, "…twelve…Glade, you aren't thinking about…?"

"Give me the missile launcher," said Glade calmly.

Dusk massed it up front and Glade took the missile launcher and jammed it between the seats, pointing it at the vehicle's fission engine.

"Now might be a good time to start walking," he advised the Pride coolly.

Sarah suddenly flashed on his plan, "Not a chance in hell." she growled.

Glade flashed her a smile, "Thanks for putting up with all my shit over the years; I know I can be a bit…_abrasive_. It's been a real honor Sarah; you're one _hell_ of a commander."

"Glade, whatever dumbass plan is bouncing around in that empty space between your ears you can fucking forget it, _it ain't happening_!" snapped Sarah.

Glade winked at her then turned towards Gallows, "If you need to, drag her kicking and screaming into that mall; you guys will have maybe a _minute_ before every fucking mutant in the city is on your ass like a pack of dogs on a three legged cat."

Gallows nodded, "Got it covered."

Was he brain damaged or something? There was no fucking _way_ Sarah was letting him do this.

"Maybe you didn't hear me dickhead, I just gave you an _order_, and you _will_ obey!"

Glade pushed the electronic door release and the doors of the humvee swung open.

"Don't take this personal Sarah, but get the fuck out of my car," and with that Glade shoved her out of her seat and onto the ground.

He threw his combat shotgun out after her, "And take this with you,"

Glade shut the doors as the rest of the Pride cleared the humvee.

"God damnit Glade!" roared Sarah getting to her feet.

"Be seeing you around Sarah," replied Glade gunning the engine and taking off towards the Behemoth.

Glade observed the Big Bastard through his windshield and watched as it narrowed its eyes and charged.

_This has got __**boom**__ written __**all**__ over it…__**hehehe**__ always said I wanted to go out with a __**bang**__._

_**WAM!**_

The force of the collision nearly knocked him unconscious, luckily the shaking of the humvee as the Behemoth lifted it into the air kept him awake. Glade felt blood running down his head, but he forced himself to look into the big bastard's eyes as it lifted the vehicle off the ground.

Glade grinned, "Didn't your mama ever tell you not to play with your food?"

"_REEEEEEEEER!"_

"No? Well let _this_ be a lesson to you."

Glade fired the missile launcher and the world slowed down around him as fire tore through the humvee and the vehicle came crashing to the ground as the explosion ripped the Behemoth in half. Then the light of the fires faded and Glade drifted into a comfortable dark void.

_Now __**that**__ was a good bang, bright, loud, and obvious; just the way I like it, _he thought as he drifted into the darkness.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Sarah was nearly deafened from the explosion as the combination of mines, fuel, and unused ammunition incinerated the Behemoth from the waste up. The explosion also drew the attention of Charlottesville's remaining Super Mutant population, Sarah could hear the big bastards roaring and making their way towards her.

"_Crazy son of a bitch,"_ she growled

_Just __**had**__ to go out in a blaze of glory __**didn't**_ _you, you __**motherfucker!**_

Gallows watched Sarah through his visor, "You good?" he asked.

"Yeah, just fucking _peachy_!" she snapped.

"Get Moving!" she roared.

The squad turned and made a break for the mall. Sarah reached the double doors of the mall's entrance and shoved them open; once the Pride was through she placed a high explosive charge on the door and hooked it to a trip wire. Sarah moved away from the door and deeper into the mall. The various stores and kiosks scattered throughout the building were mostly empty, anything valuable having been removed from them by two centuries worth of scavengers.

The charge Sarah had placed at the door detonated and a couple of Super Mutants roared in agony. The squad moved up to the second floor landing to gain a better view of any approaching uglies.

Sarah turned to Kodiak, "Try to raise Citadel Control,"

Kodiak activated the radio, then shook his head at Sarah.

_Fuck!_

Sarah could hear the Mutants roaring behind her, but there wasn't a single noise up ahead of them; she didn't like it.

Sarah held up her fist then pointed down the hall and the squad began sweeping the stores on either side of them. She didn't have to wait long for justification for her bad feelings to present itself. Eight Super Mutants exploded out from a store called "Radiation King" and charged at the Pride. Sarah brought up Glade's shotgun in one hand and sent a blast into the chest of the nearest one. The Super Mutant caught fire as the incendiary round burned through bone and flesh, and the ugly bastard dropped to the floor screaming.

Sarah brought up the laser rifle in her other hand and kneecapped another Super Mutant as it charged at her. The Mutant dropped to its knees and she finished the ugly bastard off with a kick to its chin, snapping the creature's head back and breaking its neck.

Kodiak sent three globs of super heated plasma into another of the ugly bastards as it leapt at him, and then pulled a war axe from his belt to fend off the blow from a mutant with a sledgehammer. Kodiak tossed his plasma rifle to Dusk who caught it and used it to melt the head of a Super Mutant firing a machine pistol at her.

He then turned to face the ugly bastard with the sledgehammer. He twirled the war axe in his hand.

"Okay asshole, _let's dance_,"

The Mutant raised the sledgehammer over its head then sent it crashing towards him. Kodiak brought his war axe up, splitting the sledgehammer in two and sending the end of it flying across the room. Kodiak then swung his war axe into the Mutants neck, removing the bastard's head from its shoulders.

Gallows really didn't have the patience for this shit, he raised his Combat Assault Rifle hammered the remaining Super Mutants into the ground.

"Can we get going now?" he asked coldly.

Gallows felt the floor beneath him give a shudder and a crack appeared where he was standing. He had just enough time to look up at his teammates in surprise when the floor gave way and he was sent crashing to the ground below.

Sarah rushed to the hole and looked over to see if he was still alive, but she couldn't see anything. The spot where Gallows body had landed was swarming with Super Mutants, who upon catching sight of her opened fire, making the floor vibrate and crack with their bullets.

"Oh _shit!_" she exclaimed as the floor began shaking.

Sarah turned to the rest of the Pride, "MOVE!" she roared.

Sarah started running as fast as she could for the Mall's roof exit, massive chunks of the floor collapsing behind her as she hauled ass. The squad reached the exit and kicked open the door, catching a face full of morning sunshine as they stepped outside and onto the roof of the mall.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

Alrighty so there you have it, let me know what you think


	8. Session 08: Devil is Riding Shotgun :3:

Okay, I give you Part 3. All I can say is that I hope 20,000 word chapters don't become a regular thing for this story; it's a real bitch editing them into a three part arc. Although three part arcs I am afraid _will_ be a regular part of this story, and without fail they will all pretty much be one non stop ass kicking fiesta. The next arc starts in Chapter 12 and it flashes back to the one of the bloodiest battles in the Resource Wars.

As usual the playlist for this chapter can be found on my author's page; it's been pointed out that I may have been making them a little to short, that's a my bad, but I think I've fixed the problem with_ this_ chapter's playlist so no worries.

* * *

"Those fuckers got Gallows!" Dusk screamed in panic.

Sarah ignored her and scanned the Mall's back parking lot, it was littered with broken down cars and on the far side of it, across the street from the parking lot was the remains of Charlottesville's once famous Down Town Strip; a network of stores and restaurants spread out across a few city blocks.

_People of this town sure liked their fucking shopping._

Colvin grabbed the rappelling cable off his back; he tied one end to a power pole, and kicked the other end off the roof.

"After you Sentinel Lyons,"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason wrapped his arms around the green bastard's head and twisted snapping the neck; he kicked the Super Mutants body to the ground then stumbled around to face the remaining three. One of the remaining Frankensteins was the asshole with the grenade launcher who had shot him off the roof of the parking garage, another was wielding a shock sword, and yet another was carrying a super sledge in its hands.

Sword boy came charging at him, Jason brought up a combat knife to parry the blade. Jason knocked the sword aside and kicked the Mutant in the chest, but didn't have enough strength left in him to follow through for the kill. The Mutant stumbled backwards before regaining its, charging forward again it thrust its sword at Jason, who this time was unable to get his knife up in time to parry blow. The blade sliced into his abdomen and exited his back. Jason roared in agony as several thousand volts of electricity was sent coursing through his body. Gripping the combat knife tight he repeatedly jabbed it into the Super Mutants neck until he let go of the sword and fell to the ground dead.

Screaming in pain Jason slowly pulled the sword from his stomach and fell to his knees as blood rushed from the wound. Just when Jason didn't think he had anything left in him a syringe of blue liquid fell from of his belt. The Psycho he had taken from the Brotherhood med kit. At the time he hadn't really known why he had taken it, he had never had any use for it before. He just left it for those pathetic bastards that needed to ride the dragon in order to keep from pissing themselves when facing the Chinese tanks. Today however something in the back of his mind told him to take the syringes, at the time he didn't understand it, but now he did; all those pathetic sons of bitches he had looked down on over the years…_he was one of them_.

Jason grabbed the syringe and jabbed it into his thigh, letting loose a roar as a wave of strength and a feeling of invincibility flooded his body. Jason flashed the remaining two Super Mutants a grin of pure joy and rose to his feet along with the shock sword he had pulled from his stomach. Jason charged the ugly bastard with the Super Sledge and lashed out with the blade, slicing open its stomach and spilling its guts onto the ground. The Mutant roared in agony and brought its super sledge down on Jason, who knocked the blow aside with the sword. He then aimed the blade under the Mutant's chin, sending it upwards and into the bastard's brain. The monster dropped to the ground and Jason turned to face the final Mutant.

The asshole with the boom cannon loaded another grenade into the launcher and pointed it at Jason, who was _so_ fucking done with being blown up. Jason threw the sword at the Super Mutant, the blade landed and buried itself in the Mutant's head, and the monster departed from the land of the living.

Wanting to make sure the good times kept on rolling Jason reached into his belt for the two remaining syringes of Psycho and injected them into his hip. He tilted back his head and sighed as the rush of euphoria hit him.

Jason looked down at the mutant with the sword sticking out of its head and knelt to pick up the grenade launcher and the belt of grenades strapped across the mutant's chest. Jason examined the launcher; it was a modified version of the old M79 Grenade Launchers that resembled sawed-off shotguns; this one had a black titanium barrel and a stock of dark polished redwood. It was in remarkably good shape despite having been owned by a borderline retarded green gorilla.

"This is mine now, got it?" said Jason addressing the corpse.

There was no response.

"Glad we understand each other," he said walking away from the body.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

"Covering!" shouted Sarah and Colvin taking up position behind a broken down van and opening up fire on the Super Mutants chasing them.

A few Super Mutants fell to the ground and the rest ducked behind the abandoned vehicles that littered the parking lot.

Kodiak and Dusk ran past her location and took up position behind the rusted out cars 200 feet behind them.

"Covering!" they roared.

Sarah and Colvin took off after them just as the Super Mutants surged out from their cover points.

Dusk aimed down the scope of her sniper rifle and shot the fuel tank of a big green bastard holding a flamethrower. There was an explosion in which he and the ugly bastards standing around him were completely incinerated.

"Nice one!" grinned Kodiak.

"There are certain days of the month where you just do _not_ want to fuck with a lady," she growled, dropping two more Super Mutants.

"How you doing on ammo?" asked Kodiak, changing out a plasma canister and loading a fresh micro fusion cell into his rifle.

"28 rounds left for the rifle and three magazines for my machine pistol," stated Dusk, popping the head off another Mutant.

"27," she corrected.

"What about you?" she asked.

"10 micro fusion cells, and 5 plasma canisters; so about 80 rounds left for the plasma rifle."

"_That _seems high…wait a minute…you've been fucking around with Enclave technology again _haven't_ you! What the hell Greg! Didn't you learn your lesson when the Tesla Power Armor blew up with _you_ in it!"

Kodiak fired into a mutant that was closing on Colvin a little too fast for his taste.

"Hey! _That_ was an isolated incident! Besides all I did with the rifle was fiddle around with the array a little bit and cook up a new type of plasma that burns hotter and uses less! Scribe Peabody _wishes_ he had my mad skills."

"Right, you know what I think I'll _mention_ that to him next time I see him in the mess."

"Oh _come_ on, you know how he is, it'll be a _month_ before I see another micro fusion cell!"

"Then stop being a _dumbass_ and leave the technology side of this business to the people who are trained to handle it!" snapped Dusk shooting a mutant in the throat.

Kodiak chuckled, he liked Dusk; she was easy to talk to even when she was being so _clearly_ unreasonable, and in situations like this talking was all that gripped him to his sanity.

Sarah and Colvin rushed past their position and took cover inside a building at the edge of Down Town Strip. Poking their heads out the window they ripped into the Super Mutants chasing them. Kodiak and Dusk took off for their position.

A few bullets bouncing off their armor later Dusk and Kodiak ducked inside the building with the rest of their team.

"What's the plan?" asked Dusk.

Sarah though for a second. They were all running low on ammo and it was clear now that the Super Mutants were actually _following_ them with their jammer, which left them with only one option; take out the jammer.

"Kodiak, can you triangulate the location of the jammer?"

Kodiak reached into his pack and pulled out eight wire covered metal sticks. The sticks were about 8 inches long, with sharp tips meant for punching into concrete, and topped with a small radio dish. Kodiak rammed one of the sticks into the floor of the building and a light near the top of the stick started blinking. He then divided the remaining sticks among his team mates and took the map of the city from Sarah.

"We need to create a grid," he said simply, "Anything emitting a signal that comes inside this hypothetical grid we will know about."

Kodiak pointed out the buildings where he wanted the radio mappers placed and the squad separated and went to work.

"Regroup at the Dot's Diner at the edge of the Strip when you're done," ordered Sarah.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Colvin finished placing the last radio mapper and the short wave radio in his helmet began crackling as the grid began blocking out the effects of the radio jammer. They still couldn't contact the Citadel but at least they could use the squad channel now.

"Lyon's Pride. Colvin. Do you read, over." he said speaking into his head piece.

Sarah's voice crackled over the radio, "Read you loud and clear Colvin. Regroup with the rest of the Pride at the rendezvous. Kodiak got a blip from one of the mappers, the Super Mutants our bringing the jammer to _us_, over"

"That's awful _kind_ of them; we must send them our gratitude. Colvin, over and out."

Colvin hopped down from the roof of the building he was on and started moving towards the rendezvous.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Kodiak watched the radar screen on his hand held monitor, "We got a shit storm heading our way, I'm counting at least 60 Super Mutants moving in on us with over 100 more holding position outside the Strip with the APC's we saw earlier, along with a whole host of other vehicles."

Sarah nodded, "They're going to try and kill us and pull out before the Citadel sends Vertibirds to investigate why we aren't reporting in."

Dusk shook her head, "Super Mutants who can understand our tactics? I'm _really_ not liking this."

"Something has changed," agreed Sarah.

"So _what _if they're using strategy now? We killed over a hundred of those ugly bastards today. They might be able to _use_ strategy, but they sure fucking _suck_ at it." stated Kodiak.

"Yeah, well what if they could get _better?"_ snapped Sarah.

"Impossible, they-" Kodiak stopped himself, yesterday he would have said the very possibility of Super Mutants using _any_ kind of complicated strategy in battle was impossible.

"Gotcha," said Kodiak nervously.

"Everything about this day was a trap; the Super Mutants were using us as guinea pigs for them to try out their new tricks on. Those ugly bastards are already _stronger_ than we are what if they started using _real_ armor, _real_ weapons, and _real_ tactics in battle? How _long_ do you think we could hold out against an Army of 10,000 Fawkes's?" demanded Sarah.

They all remembered Fawkes, the fiercely intelligent Super Mutant who had helped them smash through the Enclave defenses at The Purifier. Unlike his brothers, Fawkes was one of the good guys; by way of some sort of anomaly in the FEV used to transform him into a Super Mutant he was able to retain all of his human intelligence even though he still lost all his memories in the process. Sarah had even thought about recruiting him into Lyon's Pride at one point, but then thought better of it. The Brotherhood had accepted a Super Mutant into their ranks _before_, but that was a _long_ time ago, and on a different coast. In the _Capital Wasteland_, where the Super Mutants had butchered nearly a thousand of her brothers and sisters, Sarah knew the Brotherhood here would _never _allow one to join their ranks, no matter _how_ nice he was.

Kodiak and Dusk said nothing in response to her question, the thought of more that _one_ Super Mutant as intelligent and powerful as Fawkes running around was enough to make them lose their appetite.

Colvin appeared at the Diner's entrance, "Did I miss anything?" he asked.

"Nope," responded Sarah, "Just in time for the party."

Sarah took up position near a window and waited for the Super Mutants to show their ugly heads. She didn't have to wait long. Twelve Super Mutants appeared in her field of vision and she opened fire along with the rest of the squad.

The Mutants dropped to the ground dead, and so did the ten others that came up behind them. Sarah checked her ammo, two micro fusion cells left, _20 shots._ Sarah was determined to make them count, she hadn't come this far too simply die from a lack of ammunition.

The Mutants fell back under the onslaught of fire coming from the Diner. They ducked behind cover and stopped firing, which would have made Sarah happy except for the fact that they were now _chanting_.

"_God damn _those motherfuckers!" she screamed in frustration.

Three of the largest Overlords she had ever seen appeared in her field of vision, one was carrying a Gatling laser, another was dual wielding a pair of Super Sledges, and the third one had an electron charge pack strapped to its back and was covered in radio dishes.

_The Jammer_, she realized.

She had found what she was looking for, but didn't have anything strong enough to take it out with.

"Just fucking great," she growled.

The Overlord with the Gatling laser, all 12 feet and 4,000 pounds of him opened fire on the Diner. The squad ducked down to avoid the powerful energy beam. _That_ was when Sarah heard the roar of the engine.

_**WAM!**_

She looked up in time to see a hover bike moving at 80 miles an hour slam into the Overlord and send him skidding 10 feet across the street. The bike came to a stop and the man who had come to her rescue earlier hopped off of it.

He was bleeding…_everywhere_, but he didn't seem to notice or care, he simply raised a shotgun grenade launcher and pointed it at one of the three Overlords, _not_, currently groaning on the ground from having 800 pounds of hover bike shoved up his ass.

The man fired the grenade launcher and the Overlord with the Super Sledges was blasted into the side of a building. The Humongous Bastard's chest was ripped open by the blast and his intestines were spilling onto the ground, _also_ Sarah observed with a grimace, half his right leg was simply…_gone_ along with an arm; which made it all the more impressive that the beast was actually trying to get up. The man sent another grenade into the big bastard, immediately putting an end to that little brain fart.

The man loaded another grenade into the launcher and pointed it at the Overlord jamming the Pride's frequencies.

"_Yes!" _she hissed.

However the look of satisfaction on her face soon turned to horror as Sarah watched as the Overlord who had been hit with the bike stumbled to its feet and turned to face its attacker, baring its teeth.

"Look out!" screamed Kodiak

The man turned his head in time to see the fist as it smashed into him, knocking the grenade launcher from his hand and sending him sliding across the ground. The Overlord then charged at the man's sprawled body, picking it up in one hand, he sent the man flying 20 feet across the street. Where he landed with a loud thud.

_Well, I guess we're back to being fucked_, thought Sarah bitterly.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

The giant son of a bitch Jason had ramrodded with his bike, was still alive and kicking, and apparently took offense to having 800 pounds of metal shoved up his ass. Jason was sent flying through the air for what was by his count, the _fifth_ time this morning, only this time when he landed the pain was so fucking intense he didn't think he could get back up, even _with_ Psycho flooding his system. Jason raised his head and watched as four thousand pounds of mutated ugly came barreling towards him.

"_Fuck_ this city! _Fuck_ this world! and _fuck_ this _GIANT SON OF A BITCH!"_ he roared getting to his feet and ducking sideways, the gigantic mutant saw this and tried to change course, the effort of which sent it crashing to ground.

Jason analyzed the Overlord's injuries, the bike crash had left it pretty fucked up, which meant that if Jason could get a handle on the pain ripping through his body he just _might_ have a chance in this fight, a very _small_ chance.

Jason closed his eyes and mentally screamed at his body, telling it to stop hurting, and surprisingly, it did. _Now __**there**__ is a handy trick,_ thought Jason impressed. The extant of the mutations to his body were not limited to strength, speed, and reflexes, he had figured that out days ago, he just hadn't realized _how_ not limited they were until right now; but he would have to put off exploring the changes to his mind later, if there _was_ a later. Pain or no pain Jason was still leaking blood at a dangerous rate, he quickly did the math, and judging by what he had already lost, and what he knew his body held; he had maybe ten minutes before his blood pressure dropped to the point that he passed out and this fight was finished whether _he_ was or not.

The Overlord rose to his knees and Jason dashed forward and slammed his boot into its head, the Super Mutant crashed back to the ground seeing stars. Jason looked down at his leg and saw that it was tilted at an odd angle; the force of the kick had snapped a couple of the already badly bruised bones in the limb. Jason was seeing the drawbacks to feeling no pain; he sent his body another command and the pain returned, in a more manageable amount allowing Jason to sense the injuries in his body.

The Overlord suddenly lashed out with one of his massive arms and snatched Jason's broken leg yanking him to the ground. Jason grimaced in agony, and ordered his body to shutdown all pain again, but his body didn't respond to the command this time, and not only did the command go unheard but the mental blocks that had been keeping a cap on his pain dissolved and his agony quadrupled. _Guess I need some more practice with the mind tricks_, thought Jason trying to keep himself coherent.

The Overlord rose to its feet and stared down at Jason's sprawled body with disdain. The big bastard raised its foot in the air and let it hover over Jason's chest for a second, then brought it crashing down.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Sarah was running on her last micro fusion cell and the rest of the squad wasn't doing much better. Once the Overlords with heavy weapons were taken out of the fight, one having been blown up and the other currently hammering the mysterious stranger into the ground, the _smaller_ super mutants lost their courage; that was at least until they realized how low the Pride was on ammo, now they were charging the Diner.

Sarah brought up Glade's shotgun and fired a round into a Super Mutant dangerously close to invading her comfort zone. The mutant went up in flames and the rest of the ugly bastards suddenly got a lot more cautious.

_Ten rounds left for the shotgun_, she thought to herself.

Colvin had run out of bullets for his sniper rifle and was now firing his sidearm into the charging mass of ugliness. He dropped three of them before the clip ran dry.

"I'm out!" he shouted.

Sarah tossed him her laser rifle, "10 shots, make them count!"

Dusk was down to her last fours bullets for her sniper rifle, she looked through the scope trying to get a line of fire on the eyes of the big bastard with the jammer.

Kodiak was still pumping plasma into the Mutants, but he would soon be out as well.

Sarah thought about making a dash for the ammo dropped by dead mutants littered in front of Diner, but rejected the thought; she would be cut down before she even got close.

She pulled the last two grenades from her belt, it was a long shot, a _very_ long shot, but there was a chance that she could distract the Super Mutants with the grenades and the shotgun long enough to give the rest of the Pride a chance to escape. The plan didn't exactly bode well for her health, but she didn't see any other way. Sarah resolved to give the order when the wall of the building across from the Diner exploded and a large shadowy figure appeared in the smoke.

The smoke cleared and Sarah caught a glimpse of the most terrifying monster she had so far seen throughout this fucked up morning. It was a large man with pieces of badly shredded power armor clinging to his body and long bloody gashes across his bare muscular arms and abdomen. His helmet had been torn free of his head, revealing tanned skinned covered in black tribal tattoos that twisted their way across his face. The man narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth into a snarl, this combined with the tattoos covering his face served to transform him into spitting image of a demon; one sent from the very depths of hell to bathe the Earth in rivers of blood.

The demon let loose a blood curdling roar and lifted his arms into the air revealing a growling chainsaw in each hand, he then charged the mutants like a psychotic animal hell bent ripping their heads from their spines, and drinking the blood as it came pouring down.

The Super Mutants turned their attention away from the Diner and towards the demon barreling down on them. The nearest one lifted its assault rifle into the air and pointed it towards the demon, which upon seeing this act of defiance closed the distance and brought his rippers down on the mutant's arms, removing them from its body. Blood poured from the empty sockets like water from a fire hose and the mutant dropped to its knees screaming in agony. The demon let loose a shriek of raw fury and shoved his boot into the mutant's face, shattering its nose and sending it to the ground for good.

Another mutant charged the demon with a massive sword. The demon caught the blade in his rippers, tearing it in half, and then rammed the rippers into the mutant's chest, enjoying the scream of agony that hit his ears. The demon used the rippers to lift the mutant's body into the air, and tossed the terrified beast over his shoulders. The demon then turned his gaze to the Overlord carrying the jamming equipment, and roaring like a deranged psychopath he charged the massive beast and leaped onto its back.

The Overlord stumbled around the street screaming in mortal terror as the demon dug his rippers into its back. The demon roared in delight as his rippers sliced into metal, then muscle, then finally bone. The rest of the Super Mutants opened fire on the Overlord trying to shoot the demon off its back. Screaming in fury the Overlord swept its massive arms knocking the super mutants to the ground. The demon cackled as his chainsaws ripped into the Overlord's spine, sending the gigantic beast into a seizure, that had it crushing the toppled super mutants under its feet. After a moment the seizure stopped and the Overlord collapsed to the ground, thoroughly dead.

"Is that _seriously_ who I think it is?" asked Dusk.

"Yep," replied Sarah, watching as the _demon_, also know as _Irving Gallows_, ripped into another Super Mutant.

Kodiak immediately picked up the radio and switched it on.

"Citadel Control. Lyon's Pride. _Do_ you copy?"

"Lyon's Pride. Citadel Control. We were starting to get worried you would miss your check in time, what-"

Kodiak cut him off, "We were being jammed. We have reestablished communication, but we are _overrun_. We need gun ships and med-evac teams on location ASAP. Coordinates _are_…"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Gallows stared down the dozen Super Mutants now encircling him, he wasn't all that worried. In the 15 years he had been trekking across the Capital Wasteland no Super Mutant had ever held much of a threat for him; sure they may have been a little bit stronger than he was, but _having_ strength and knowing how to _use_ it were two _entirely _different things, still he preferred not to play the long odds when he could avoid it.

"I've had my fill of fun this morning, so I'm going to give you all this once in a life time opportunity to walk the away and keep on walking; you do that and I won't _murder_ you where you stand," said Gallows in a deadpan voice.

The mutants bared their teeth into a snarl and closed in.

Gallows matched the snarl and _then_ some; _I __**love**__ it when they do things the hard way._

Before Gallows could bring his rippers to bear bullets and laser beams exploded from the Diner and the mutants started dropping to the ground around him. _**Figures** those armor jockeys would try to steal back some of the glory._

Gallows hoped he hadn't made a mistake in coming back to pull their asses out of the meat grinder. There were bound to be a lot more questions now the type of which he had been dodging for the past 15 years, questions about who he really was, how he could do what he could do, and most importantly _where he came from_. Somehow he didn't think "mind your own fucking business" would suffice for an answer anymore.

_Maybe I should have just left them to die_, he thought bitterly.

Gallows had grown too fond of his new comrades, and it was starting to impair his judgment.

His gaze drifted to where the super man was fighting the Overlord. The man was incredibly strong and fast, but _clearly_ not accustomed to it…_still_ there was something to him, something…_more, _Gallows could _smell_ it.

The addition of the Pride's firepower soon brought an end to the remaining super mutants, Gallows slid the rippers back on his belt as Sarah walked up to him, _here it comes,_ he thought coldly.

Sarah raised an eyebrow at him, "Interesting look," she said simply, referring to his shredded power armor.

"Air support is 25 minutes out, what say we give our dashing hero over there a hand," she said gesturing to where the Overlord was stomping on the man's chest.

_Guess the questions come later._

"Sure, it _is_ the neighborly thing to do after all," said Gallows dryly.

Gallows bent down and picked up a discarded heavy assault rifle and pointed it at the Overlord, but before he could pull the trigger…

"Incoming!" screamed Dusk.

Gallows looked up in time to watch as the crackling blue ball of lightning hit the ground at their feet, sending several thousand volts of electricity into their bodies and dropping them to the ground paralyzed.

Gallows watched from his position on the ground as dozens of Super Mutants swarmed out from the buildings, and surrounded them, and then watched as yet _more_ drove up in vehicles.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

The Overlord brought his foot crashing down on Jason's chest breaking his ribs and flooding his body with yet _more_ pain. Jason could see darkness on the edge of his vision; he was dying and he knew it.

_Maybe this is what I deserve,_ thought Jason lazily.

How many hundreds of people had he killed during the war? How many hundreds of innocent men, women, and children had died by his hand? Jason was a monster, and monsters _deserved_ death.

The Overlord raised his leg again.

_Well maybe I __**do**__ deserve to die, but one thing is for damn sure, if death is coming for me, then this big bastard is riding __**shotgun**__._

The mutant sent his foot crash down again, but this time Jason caught it in his arms and used it to pull the Overlord to the ground. Rolling on top of the Overlord he started raining punches down on its thick skull.

The darkness at edge of his vision began to close in.

The mutant roared trying to buck him off. Jason snatched the combat knife from his belt and stabbed the monster in the neck and started sawing. The Mutant began shaking as it went into shock from the blood loss.

_Well I know Heaven won't want anything to do with me, so I guess Hell is just gonna have to make some room for me and my __**new friend**__._

Jason's finished sawing through the mutant's neck and picked up the severed head. Stumbling to his feet Jason began searching for his grenade launcher.

The Super Mutants had the Pride bound in chains and were awaiting orders on what to do next. They were strong, so it was possible the Great One would allow them the privilege of joining their ranks, on the other hand they had caused the Great One no end in frustration by refusing to die, so he may just order them _killed_ instead.

Sarah looked up at the ugly bastards pointing rifles at her.

"You better kill me now, because if you even _try_ to feed me that green shit, I swear to _God_ I'll murder every last fucking one of you." she growled.

The Super Mutants started laughing as if she said something incredibly funny. The electric orb had short circuited her power armor so she was unable to break the chains and strangle them. Just one more trick up the super mutants' collective sleeve, apparently the fuckers were just _full of them_. Sarah turned to Gallows who still seemed to be paralyzed by the blast of electricity, which was strange since it had only knocked the rest of the Pride out for about a minute, Gallows must have been more beat up than she had realized.

The Super Mutants apparently received their orders because one of them bent down and picked her up, preparing to toss her into one of their trucks. Sarah clamped her teeth down on its ear and ripped it off, a spurt of blood spraying across her face and down her neck. The mutant howled in pain and dropped her to the ground, then raised its foot preparing to smash her head in with it.

_**BOOM!**_

One of the trucks blew sky high as it was hit with a grenade launcher, a split second later the mutant who was about to kill Sarah was suddenly knocked to the ground as a massive decapitated head was sent crashing into the side of its ugly face. As it went down a laser pistol dropped from its belt, Sarah quietly snatched it up and pointed it at her chains.

All eyes turned to the direction the head had come flying at them from and standing there not twenty feet away was the psychotic bad ass; who had apparently finished his argument with the Overlord and found his gun. The man pointed the grenade launcher at the remaining Super Mutants.

"To hell with what Mr. Creepy Mind Voice said; get the fuck out of this city now or I'll kill you all."

Jason stared down the Super Mutants, it was a bluff, but maybe he had killed enough of them for them to believe it. The invisible presence tried to probe his mind again, but all it could touch was the rage and hatred boiling just beneath the surface, and that was enough to make it withdraw as fast as it could.

_WHAT __**ARE**__ YOU?_

_Your worst fucking nightmare, now are you gonna call off your lackeys, or shall I send them back to you in pieces?_

_HEHEHE, WELL, SINCE YOU ASK __**SO**__ NICELY, **SURE**, WHY NOT?_

The Super Mutants started getting back in their vehicles and driving away.

_YOU...**INTRIGUE ME**...I LOOK FORWARD TO OUR MEETING AGAIN HUMAN, PERHAPS NEXT TIME WE CAN HAVE THIS CONVERSATION __**FACE TO FACE**__._

Once the last of the vehicles was away the grenade launcher slipped from his hand and he dropped to his knees. Jason fell backwards on to the ground as the darkness finally closed in on him, Jason waited for the devil to show up and claim his prize, hell, with all the business Jason had sent his way over the years the son of a bitch could at _least_ greet him personally.

The devil didn't come, but something did that Jason did not expect, _a Valkyrie._

Jason remembered from his high school classes that Valkyries were the warriors of the gods, sent to protect the spirits of those who die in violence and guide them to the afterlife. Jason felt like he should apologize for making her job so damn hard over the years, but found he couldn't speak.

Maybe it was the fact that she would be the last woman he would ever see before slipping beyond the veil, but she was _truly_ and heart stoppingly beautiful. Soft gold hair dripped down her shoulders, and her face was the very landscape of Heaven itself. The Valkyrie knelt down beside him and placed her hands over his chest, upon her face was a look of deep concern.

Jason smiled, _don't worry about it, the world will be better off without me, they should have put me in the ground __**years**__ ago._

"Whine, whine, whine, whine, whine" snapped a new voice.

Jason looked to his right and saw General Constantine Chase kneeling beside him in full dress uniform.

"All you ever do is _whine_! _So_ you're a monster, _so_ you've killed a shit load of people, maybe not _all_ of them deserved it, but _guess_ what? _Tough shit_."

"I got news for you kid. The world _needs_ monsters, now more than ever, the world needs someone who has what it takes to get the job done and set things right around here."

_GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!_

Chase vanished but someone new replaced him.

_Dad?_

Jason looked into the eyes of Marcus Wolfe.

"I'm sorry Jason, but you don't get to die, not yet, too much depends on you, more than you can _possibly_ imagine."

The Valkyrie jabbed something into his chest and his father vanished as oxygen once more began to fill his lungs. Jason could now hear distant voices.

"…collapsed lung, massive blood lost, multiple broken bones; we need to get him into surgery immediately; call ahead to the Citadel and make sure a trauma unit is standing by…"

_Fucking ghosts, why couldn't they just let me die in peace? _thought Jason bitterly, as he passed into unconsciousness.

* * *

So yeah, the plot is getting a little more complicated but fear not, I won't let it tread near shark infested waters.


	9. Session 09: Exit Wounds

So I guess I should start by apologizing for the delay with this chapter, it has come to my attention that some people may have been mildly upset that I left them with a cliffhanger for five months. Let me just say that was a serious my bad on my part, I honestly didn't enjoy watching you twitch, well, maybe just a _little_ bit, but moving on. The playlist for this chapter can be found on my author's page, click the link click the music, and enjoy the show =D

* * *

January, 2278

Sarah thumbed the trigger on the laser pistol and pointed it at the chains binding her wrists together, she crinkled her nose as the smell of burning ozone filled the air around her while the chains began to glow red before cracking and falling to the ground. She spared a quick glance at the man with the grenade launcher, the armor covering his chest had been blown off and she could now see the dozens of bloody wounds covering his well muscled upper body. His skin had become an almost ghostly white from all the blood loss but even so his grip on the grenade launcher was firm and Sarah got the distinct impression that if it came down to it he could kill a _lot_ more mutants before they managed to take him down.

Sarah slid the pistol across the ground to Kodiak then leaned down and began unwinding the chains binding her legs together. Her arms were feeling extremely heavy with the added weight of her damaged and inactive power armor; so long as she was still wearing it she would be worse than useless in a fight. She reached into the small nook built into the top of her breast plate and felt for the release valve located within. Twisting the wheel she heard the hiss of escaping air as the joints in her power armor began to separate.

Sarah returned her gaze to Kodiak who had finished burning through his own chains and was passing the laser pistol to Colvin and Dusk. The Super mutants around her suddenly let out a frustrated hiss and she quickly looked up preparing to launch herself into another fight, but the Frankensteins weren't paying the slightest bit of attention to her. Instead they were shooting the man with the grenade launcher a murderous glare before slowly turning as a group and climbing back into their vehicles.

Sarah _had_ to have missed something. Super Mutants didn't retreat, it wasn't in their nature. Not even when they were outnumbered 2 to 1, did they even _consider _retreating. Sarah turned her gaze to the man with the grenade launcher and stared at him appraisingly. He was barely six feet tall, well muscled, but not ridiculously so; there was nothing to indicate how it was he could go hand to hand with an Overlord and live to tell the tale let alone cause over 50 Super Mutants to run home without so much as putting up a fight. Then she turned her gaze to his eyes and she suddenly saw something in them that was decidedly _not _normal; they were the eyes of a man with absolutely nothing to lose, and that more than anything else made the man in front of her the most dangerous thing in the vicinity.

As the last of the trucks began to drive away the grenade launcher began shaking in the man's grip before it slipped from his hand; a split second later the man fell to ground along with his grenade launcher.

Sarah angrily shook off her power armor letting it clang to the ground around her, when she was finally down to just her black tank top and skin tight shorts she ran to the man's fallen body and knelt by his side, analyzing his wounds.

She could hear Kodiak cursing loudly behind her as he struggled to get the med kit off the back of his broken down power armor.

"A little _help_ here!"

"I gotcha," replied Dusk, standing up and removing the kit from his back.

She handed it to Kodiak and he hobbled his way over to where Sarah was kneeling.

Sarah put a hand on the man's chest and gently felt for broken bones and internal injuries, she found them…and in great number. The man's breathing suddenly turned into a labored gasp and she realized that in addition to everything else that that had gone wrong for him today one of his lungs had collapsed as well.

Sarah reached into the med kit and pulled out a thick needle. Placing her fingers on the dying man's shoulder blade she began feeling for the correct spot to insert it to relieve the pressure.

"_Gotcha,"_

Sarah pushed the needle into the man's chest and he suddenly let loose a sigh as air began refilling his lungs.

"I got the Vertibirds on the horn; they say they're 15 minutes out!" Dusk shouted from where she was with the radio

Sarah was only half listening; she was more concerned about the man who seemed to be hell bent on dying under her watch. _Yeah, not happening buddy; I've lost enough people for one day._

Sarah began rambling off his injuries under her breath.

"…collapsed lung, massive blood lost, multiple broken bones…we need to get him into surgery immediately."

Sarah turned to Dusk, "Call ahead to the Citadel and make sure a trauma unit is standing by!"

She returned her gaze to the man. She needed to figure out a way to stop the bleeding or he wouldn't the last chopper ride back to the Citadel. _Think damnit!_

The med kit hadn't been replenished in months and was only running on the bare essentials; no coagulants, no blood packs, just stim-packs, med-x, and surgical tools.

For some reason Sarah suddenly flashed back to when she was about six and was riding horses with her mother along the California coast, she lost her footing when she was climbing off her pony and fell to the ground, cutting open her arm. Her mother had wrapped the arm in a scarf and bound it tight, _"…we need to put pressure on it sweetheart…"_

Sarah's eyes flashed, "_Pressure, _he needs _pressure!"_

Sarah straddled the man's waist and lay down on top of him; sliding her arms underneath his back she hugged him to her as tight as she could. The added pressure of her body caused the blood flow from his wounds to slow then eventually stop.

She heard a stifled chuckle above her.

"Kodiak I swear to god, you make one comment and I will _fucking_ end you!"

"I'm sorry, but if I had known all it took to get a hug out of you was-"

Sarah wasn't feeling up to letting him finish his one liner.

"Dusk _kick_ his ass!"

"_Ouch_ damnit!"

"Anything else I can help with Boss?" asked the Knight Sergeant.

"Yeah, check on Gallows, he was a little the worse for wear last time I checked."

"_Gallows_ is fine," said a deadpan voice walking towards her.

Sarah looked up to see Gallows standing over her head; the large gashes across his bulging muscles had stopped bleeding and already looked as if they were two days old.

"I tend to bounce back," he said dryly is response to her puzzled gaze.

Sarah narrowed here eyes, "You're not human _are_ you?" she stated accusingly.

The Pride suddenly went silent and looked as if they would all really rather be someplace else. The truth was they had always known Gallows wasn't exactly normal, and not just because of his bubbly personality, but they never questioned whether or not he was human, they did however make the unspoken decision to respect his privacy; Sarah was now violating that silent agreement.

Gallows fixed Sarah with a deadly grin in response to her statement.

"Don't worry; I could care less what you are. Radiation freak? Some sort of tinker toy from the Commonwealth? Not my problem, what is my problem however is _trust_. You don't trust _me_, so how can I trust _you?_"

Gallows narrowed his eyes, "Not my issue. I will however bother to point out that without me you would all be dead right now, so whatever I am, and I'm not telling by the way, you should really use a more _respectful_ tone when you're talking to me."

Sarah lowered her gaze for a moment, he was right and she knew it, "Alright Gallows, point taken," she said softly.

Sarah turned her gaze to the rest of the Pride, "This issue is a _Pride_ matter, _treat it as such,_" she said dangerously.

The Pride nodded.

Gallows knelt down next to where Sarah was laying on top of the man, "The pressure was a good call," he said as if the conversation that just took place had never happened.

He placed his fingers on the man's neck. "Pulse is weak…he needs a transfusion before we can move him."

Gallows reached for the med-kit. Cracking it open he pulled out a few antibacterial swabs and began wiping down his forearm.

"What the hell do you think you're _doing?_" demanded Sarah.

"Type O Negative; I'm a universal donor." He stated pulling an intravenous line from the kit and sticking an end into the vein of his forearm.

"_Seriously?"_

Gallows gave an impatient sigh, "I'm _human_ Sarah…..mostly."

"Oh," she replied awkwardly

Gallows plugged the other end of the IV into the man's arm and Sarah watched as the clear tube turned red and blood began flowing from Gallows body and into the dying man.

After a few seconds Gallows neck gave a twitch and he pulled a stim-pack from the med-kit and injected it into his thigh.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, "You sure you're okay?"

"_Never better,"_ he replied scathingly.

That was Gallows for you, ask him how his day is going and he'll respond by telling you to fuck off and die. _That_ at least was still going to be business as usual with him it seemed.

Sarah heard the whirl of chopper blades in the distance and looked up to see twelve Brotherhood Gun Ships appear on the horizon; half of the Citadel's Air Defense Screen. Ever since the Enclave had showed up the Brotherhood had been forced to retask 24 of their combat Vertibirds to provide cover for the Citadel. The Vertibirds were one of the few things they couldn't manufacture on the East Coast, and now that the West Coast Brotherhood had cut them off they were utterly irreplaceable. A few years ago there would have been at least three Gun Ships flying cover for her when she entered this god forsaken city; but being forced to take 24 of their already dwindling supply off of patrol had thrown a lot of squads to the wolves, not just Lyon's Pride.

One Vertibird landed while the rest moved off to scout the city for any lingering Super Mutant presence. Two scribes of the Order of the Staff, the Brotherhood's medical personnel, came running out of the Vertibird with a stretcher and headed towards Sarah.

"Thank you Sentinel Lyons, we'll take it from here," they said, gently lifting Sarah off the badly wounded man.

One of the scribes pulled out a packet of white powder and poured it over the man's chest, causing his wounds to clot. They then gently lifted him onto the stretcher and with Gallows running along side them with the intravenous line they boarded the Vertibird and took off.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

"Tweezers," stated the surgeon holding out a gloved hand.

His assistant passed him the instrument and he reached into the man's chest to pluck out the bullet he then placed it on the tray along with the seven others he had so far collected

"Give me some light on this wound," he said, and another surgeon repositioned the lamp.

The bullet he had pulled from the man's chest had damn near severed a section of small intestine, but as he watched the tissue _miraculously_ began to knit itself back together now that the bullet had been removed.

"What the fuck _is_ this guy?" he demanded.

His colleague shook her head, "I've studied the effects of radiation for going on 30 years and I've seen some…_interesting _mutations over the years; but nothing…quite…like…this; whatever this man is…it's out of myleague."

"Thanks Miranda…that…_completely_ fails to cheer me up," replied the surgeon dryly.

The surgeon looked towards the monitor to locate the position of the remaining bullets in the man's body.

"Three left to go people; we're almost done," he informed.

The surgeon held out his hand, "Scalpel."

He made another incision into the man's chest widening the bullet wound so that he could get at the last of 10mms. Once the last one was on the plate he then picked up a needle and thread and started sewing up the man's wounds along with the rest of the trauma surgeons. Once the wounds were sutchered he snipped off the excess thread poking out of the man's skin and placed his tools back on the tray.

"As much I would love to sit in on the rest of this surgery, I have someplace I need to be, I trust you can take it from here Adrian, you don't need me looking over your shoulder?"

"This _isn't_ my first safari Damien," informed the man dryly.

"You trying to convince me or yourself?" grinned Damien, removing his gloves and tossing them into the recycling bin.

"Make sure the video camera is running, I want a record of this cellular regeneration."

"No worries, we got it covered," replied the geneticist Miranda.

"Alright then I'll leave you to it," said Damien tiredly before turning to leave the O.R. He didn't get more than ten feet down the hall when a junior scribe came running up to him with a look of sheer terror etched on his face.

"Sir! I finished the patient's blood work! It's…it's…ah fuck it see for yourself!" he snapped shoving Damien a clip board.

Damien read the first few lines of writing and all color drained from his face.

"Get Citadel Security down here right fucking now!" he roared, turning back towards the operating room.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Sarah pulled off the bloody tank top and stripped out of her socks and shorts tossing them all into a hamper. It had been a shitty day all around and all she wanted now was a long hot shower. Sarah grabbed a bottle of homemade body wash from her locker and stepped into the shower stall, turning on the water. A blast of freezing water hit her naked body and she bit back the torrent of curses that came to mind, and instead focused on getting clean. The Order of the Hammer was experimenting with solar technology to power the Citadel's water heaters; it wasn't really working out for them or for anyone else. But what could you expect from a bunch of glorified maintenance drones with way too much free time on their hands?

The water changed from freezing to lukewarm.

"Well score one for the B-Team," muttered Sarah.

Sarah finished her shower and stepped out of the stall reaching for a towel and wrapping it around her chest before heading for the locker room exit. Sarah stepped out into the hallway leading to the barracks and started walking toward her quarters passing another squad coming in from patrol as she made her way there.

_**Tristan's Bastards**__ now where the hell have they been the past three weeks?_

Sarah stopped them with a gesture of the hand.

"Sentinel Lyons," said Paladin Tristan by way of greeting.

Sarah smiled politely; she was always on her guard when he was around, mainly because the man disturbed the living hell out of her. You wouldn't know it unless you actually trained with him, but Tristan Foster was easily the most hardcore son of a bitch in the Brotherhood of Steel, maybe even the world. A tall man with a shaved head, a "Born to Kill" tattoo on the back of his neck, and a lean muscular body that Sarah doubted contained so much as a single ounce of body fat. Tristan was a member of an ancient and extremely dangerous breed of soldiers, one that dated all the way back to the Battle of Thermopylae, to when men were throwing spears at each other instead of nukes and bullets. The man was a _razor_, the kind of person who was quite simply _made_ for warfare; there was no length he wouldn't go to, and no line he wouldn't cross to ensure the success of the mission.

Irving Gallows may have been the deadliest fighter in the Brotherhood of Steel, but Tristan Foster was the _craziest_, and by far the most dangerous man Sarah had ever met…with _one_ possible exception but the jury was still out on whether or not he would survive the night.

"Long time no see, what rock have you been hiding under?"

"Reconnaissance mission down south in the Everglades. We got word that the Enclave was fucking around somewhere in the swamps and Elder Lyons sent us in to investigate." He said in a tired voice.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, "Find anything?"

"Twenty foot long alligators, tropical pack raptors, pythons, and a whole fucking lot of mosquitoes. Plus a few crazy ass locals with shotguns and a deep seated dislike for strangers, but while we were there I decided to give them a proper lesson in _etiquette_, as far as they're concerned we're their new best friends," he said with a look of deep satisfaction.

Sarah felt a shudder coming on but she stifled it.

"So goose chase then?"

"More or less, the Enclave was definitely up to something; there were scorch marks up and down that fucking swamp, but they had all pulled out by the time we got there. If I had to venture a guess I would say they were trying to capture some of the more vicious examples of local wildlife and weaponize them like they did with the yao-guai and deathclaws around here."

"Fantastic, I love good news."

Tristan actually grinned, "Actually I wouldn't mind watching them try and house train a pack raptor. I imagine it would be an interesting spectacle…_lots_ and _lots_ of blood."

Sarah stepped aside so that they could move past.

"Nice talking to you Tristan," said Sarah wrapping up their conversation.

"You as well Sentinel Lyons."

Sarah continued walking down the hall until she reached her quarters. Upon entering the room she collapsed on the bed.

"Hello bed," she muttered into the mattress.

Sarah suddenly felt her body start convulsing, alarmed for a moment she tried to get up, but found she was having trouble breathing due to the gasps coming out of her throat. Sarah touched her hand to her face and felt the tears pouring down her cheeks. Sarah realized she was crying, _and just when I thought I couldn't possibly be more pathetic_, she thought miserably.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Owyn Lyons folded his hands behind his back as he waited for Paladin Kodiak to finish his report.

"We were lucky Elder Lyons, if Superman hadn't come along when did we'd all be dead as fucking fried chicken,"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Owyn's face as he nodded along with Kodiak's summarization. _Yes,_ _fate likes to remind us it has a sense of humor from time to time, doesn't it?_

"Thank you son…you like tired, you should get some rest," said Owyn gesturing toward the door.

"Thanks sir, I think I'll do that," said Kodiak exiting Elder Lyon's office.

Owyn ran a hand through his thinning hair and turned to his liqueur cabinet, opening it up he pulled out a bottle of aged scotch along with a shot glass. Sitting down behind his desk he poured himself a drink.

"So…we've come full circle at last," he said in an exhausted voice.

Owyn downed the scotch in one gulp, grimacing as the bitter liquid burned its way down his throat. Owyn turned his chair to face the wall safe behind his desk and entered his combination, gripping the handle Owyn pulled the safe open and took out the black leather brief case that lay at the bottom. He sat the brief case on his desk and opened it up, reaching inside he pulled out a set of pre-war holotags that he laid to the side of his desk then reached inside again and pulled out a folder which he laid across his lap. Owen snatched up the bottle of scotch and poured himself another glass.

He never felt older in his life than he did at this very moment, but somehow he had to find within himself to open the folder on his lap and find out what it had t tell him. There was a whole hell of a lot more resting on his shoulders now than the lives of a few thousand soldiers; events had been set in motion, events that would fundamentally alter the course of the human race forever. It was within his power to influence the direction this new course would take, he had a mission now and if he chose to ignore it then humanity, what was left of it would simply…cease to exist…and all that would be left to remind anyone his species had ever lived would be the bones and ruins of a dead world.

Owyn downed the scotch and set the empty glass back down on his desk before opening the folder and removing the sheets of paper contained within it. Owyn set the papers on his desk and began reading through them while the folder slipped to the floor, Owyn spared it a quick glance before returning to his reading, taking a moment to run his eyes over the words stamped across the front.

Department of the Army Eyes Only

**PROJECT ICE MAN**

"Yes, fate does indeed have a _wicked _sense of humor," he said eyeing the empty folder.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Damien ran his hands through his hair as he stared through the recovery room window at the patient currently handcuffed to the bed and pumped full of enough sedatives to render an elephant comatose. He didn't look like a Super Mutant, but blood work didn't lie, the son of a bitch lying on that bed was _anything_ but human.

"Are you positive we don't need to put a quarantine in place?"

Damien was starting to lose patience, "I don't know how many ways I can say this before it sinks in, but let's go ahead and give it another shot shall we? There is no active FEV in his system, whatever the virus was designed to do to him its already done, most of it has bonded with cells, and what hasn't is to old and degraded to do anything to anyone. Or to put it more plainly _he's not contagious_, but of course if it would make you feel important go right ahead and seal off the medical wing anyway, I can just go ahead and move all my patients into the court yard for the night."

"Hey listen here Doc-"

Damien turned to face the Citadel Security Officer, "No, _you_ listen you _fucking_ idiot. I'm tired, I've had a long god damn day, and my patience is wearing thin. If you waste one more second of my time that I could spend sleeping then I'm going to dose you with something that I just _know_ will have you praying to the porcelain goddess for the better part of the week. Here's what you're going to do, and listen carefully because I fucking hate repeating myself. _Watch_ the man in the medically induced coma, should by some miracle of divine intervention he come _out_ of it, then call a doctor to put him back _into_ it. Have a pleasant fucking evening, I'm going to bed."

Damien turned and walked away leaving the Citadel Security officer fuming in his tracks. Citadel Security was the Brotherhood's police force, the unit was mostly composed of veteran knights whose years had caught up with them and were no longer up to going on missions and moronic jackasses who couldn't go on missions by virtue of the fact that if they did they would probably get themselves and everyone in their unit killed. The young officer was one of the later. Damien left the medical wing and headed for his quarters. Entering the Courtyard he saw several knights being trained on the night vision goggles Scribe Bowditch had just perfected. Entering the barracks Damien walked down the hall and stopped at the door to his quarters. It was past 10 and she was probably asleep, it would be a bad idea to wake her up. Damien slowly turned the knob on the door and slipped into the spacious room.

She was sitting cross legged on the bed waiting for him. _Should have known she wasn't going to sleep easy tonight._ Thought Damien mentally kicking himself.

"Sorry I wasn't here earlier," said Damien closing the door behind him.

"What the hell took you so long?" she demanded.

"Problem at work," grinned Damien.

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh, care to enlighten me?"

"Don't worry you'll hear all about it in the morning, no need to give you yet another reason not to sleep tonight."

The woman narrowed here eyes, "What am I? Some delicate flower that needs protecting?"

Damien laughed out loud, "The words Sarah Lyons and delicate flower don't really go hand in hand,"

"Just don't forget it," replied Sarah.

Damien kicked off his shoes and slid out of his lab coat before crawling onto the bed with her.

"I heard about Vargas and Glade…I'm so sorry," he whispered running a hand through her hair.

"It happens," she said dismissively, shaking him off.

Damien smiled sadly. Sarah didn't like people thinking she had feelings that could be hurt, the few times he had seen her vulnerable she would shut him out for weeks afterward. Not a difficult feat; her entire brain was wired to keep people out. Damien at least had gotten used to it.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Sarah turned her gaze to look at him, "You can take off your shirt, pants too while you're at it."

Damien opened his mouth but Sarah placed a finger on his lips.

"If by chance you're planning on making a joke along the lines of 'one prescription for sex coming right up,' I would advise against it, unless of course you want to sleep in the hallway tonight."

Damien opened his mouth again but Sarah covered it with her hand, "In fact, less talking more stripping, nod if you agree."

Sarah shook his head up and down.

"Good boy," she winked.

Sarah pulled off her t-shirt and threw it to the floor, then noticing Damien wasn't moving fast enough for here liking she took hold of his pants and began pulling them off.

"I'm moving woman just give me a second!"

"No," replied Sarah ripping of his underpants as well.

Damien laughed, "Well who am I to argue with a lady,"

"You're doing that talking thing again," Sarah reminded him straddling his waist.

Sarah reached between her legs and took hold of him.

"What? No foreplay?" grinned Damien.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, "What would be the point?"

Sarah squeezes and Damien groans, holding him steady she sinks down on top of him. Damien brings his hands up to her waist but she grabs them and pins them to the bed with surprising strength. Damien didn't need to be told twice that gentle was decidedly _not_ what she had in mind. Still who was he to complain?

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Colvin cracked open a beer and turned to face the power armor strewn across the work bench. He took a drink and rolled his neck on his shoulders, he felt stiff all over, the lingering effects of going hand to hand with a Super Mutant. He didn't enjoy fighting Super Mutants in close quarters, their breath smelled like ass and they always put dents in his armor; he much preferred to blow their brains out of the backs of their skulls from a distance.

Colvin looked around the machine shop and caught sight of the 77 Chryslus Corvega that the Order of the Steed had been restoring in painstaking detail for the better part of six months. The Order of the Steed had responsibility for all of the Brotherhood's transportation, form humvees to vertibirds. Corvegas weren't exactly combat vehicles but there were a couple of collectors in the Commonwealth who would trade technology for some the things the Brotherhood picked up on its travels; nice cars, works of art, jewelry, basically things that were of no use to people who spent their entire lives at war but held a certain interest to insulated morons who have never seen a Super Mutant in their life.

It looked like the Corvega was almost done though; one of the scribes had already applied a shining chrome finish and white racing stripes to the vehicle. Colvin caught site of a reflection in the car, it took him a moment to realize that he was looking at himself. 12 years of wearing power armor day in and day out had turned his skin extremely pale, which made the glaring black skull tattooed on his neck all the more visible, that combined with his salt and pepper hair served to transform him into the spitting image of death itself.

Colvin sighed at the irony of it and took another drink of beer. In another life that was _exactly_ what he had been, only back then he was a lot easier on the eyes. Colvin sat down at the work bench and started switching out the hydraulics on his power armor, putting the damaged ones aside so that the Order of the Shield could repair them when they had the time. Recycle was pretty much the motto around the Brotherhood nowadays.

"Colvin!"

Colvin turned his head to face the newcomer.

"Jensen," replied Colvin by way of greeting.

"Heard there were a few hundred less Super Mutants in the world thanks to Sarah and her cubs," he said jovially.

"And there are a few thousand more where those came from to Virginia to Maryland," replied Colvin dryly.

"Well _excuse_ me for trying to see the silver lining!"

Colvin closed his eyes, "Is there a purpose to your being here?"

"Uh yeah, I was heading to the gym and I need a sparing partner, you feel up to a boxing match?"

Colvin thought about it for a second…well his armor wasn't going anywhere.

"Lead the way," said Colvin standing up.

Colvin exited the machine shop, and entered the courtyard.

"So I heard an interesting rumor today," said Jensen conversationally.

"I don't gossip,"

"Really? Then I guess you wouldn't be interested to know that they're saying the Outcasts have made contact with the West Coast Brotherhood and that they're considering backing Casdin over Elder Lyons."

"Never happen," stated Colvin.

"What makes you so sure?" asked Jensen.

"Henry Casdin and Owyn Lyons aren't even on the same playing field. The California Elders are stupid, but they aren't _that_ stupid," explained Colvin

Colvin and Jensen reached the Gym and moved over to the sparring mat. Colvin located up a pair of boxing gloves lying on a bench and put them on turning to face Jensen.

"How difficult do you want me to make this?" he asked.

Jensen smiled, "Your call mate, just know that I'm going to be bringing the pain."

Jensen launched himself at Colvin who ducked beneath the blow and sent a sharp jab into Jensen's stomach who backed away gasping for air.

"I have told you _repeatedly_, never go for the obvious opening, always keep your guard up," said Colvin in a low dangerous voice.

Colvin sent another blow into the side of Jensen's head and junior knight backed away with his ears ringing.

"Why you are incapable of understanding these simple instructions is beyond me,"

He had been responsible for Jensen's AIT training when he had joined the Brotherhood three years back, and his old student was apparently having a hard time remembering his lessons. In truth Jensen probably shouldn't have been assigned to frontline but the kid wanted it so much that no one had the heart to stick him in Citadel Security.

"Yeah, my bad," groaned Jensen shaking his head.

"GET YOUR GUARD UP!" roared Colvin before launching himself at the young knight.

This time Jensen dodged the blow and was able to make a decent accounting of himself for the rest of the match until Elder Lyon's assistant came running up to them.

"Knight Captain Colvin Elder Lyons requests your presence in his office!"

Colvin raised an eyebrow; the Old Man usually wasn't one for burning the midnight oil.

"I'll be right there,"

Colvin turned to Jensen and pointed a gloved fist at him, "Remember what I said,"

Jensen grinned "You're just lucky that desk jockey came along when he did."

"Yes, I imagine I would have felt guilty in the morning for putting you in the hospital wing," replied Colvin tossing off his gloves and heading for the gym's exit.

The walk to Elder Lyon's office was a short one, the Old Man liked to squeeze in a morning sparring session with one of the senior knights, just to remind everyone he wasn't as decrepit as they thought he was so he had chosen an office close to the Gym. Colvin knocked twice on the door then entered.

"You wanted to see me Owyn?"

Elder Lyon's was sitting behind his desk staring at a stack of papers that he quickly put away when Colvin entered.

"Take a seat John," he said gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

Colvin sat down and turned his head to look into Owyn's eyes, waiting for him to continue talking.

"When I recruited you 12 years ago I promised to commit the resources of the Brotherhood to help you track down a certain individual."

Colvin's eyes flashed but he waited for Owyn to continue.

Owyn let out a sigh, "I just got a report from one of our reconnaissance teams they found…_traces_…of him up near Evergreen Mills…we don't know why he's come back after all this time, but last time he made his presence known he left a trail of bodies from here to Toronto, I urge you to think _carefully _about your next course of action."

Colvin was quiet for a long moment.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention Owyn…but I'm afraid we've reached a parting of the ways, what happens from this point on doesn't concern you,"

Colvin stood up and turned to leave, but paused for a moment at the door and turned back to Elder Lyons, "You've been a good friend over the years Owyn…take care of yourself."

And with that Colvin was gone.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Damien reached into the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water before turning around to toss one to Sarah.

"Always remember to rehydrate after exercise,"

Sarah laughed as she caught the bottle, "Just so you know I'm laughing _at_ you not _with_ you."

"But you're still laughing, so my work here is done"

Damien sat down on the bed and took a drink from his bottle.

"Yeah…sorry about that…I got a little intense there didn't I?" she said in response to the question in his eyes.

"Just…a _little_ bit, not that I'm complaining," smirked Damien.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Sarah gave him a look.

Damien chuckled, "I forgot, bad ass soldiers don't _talk_ about their issues they _shoot _them."

"Exactly," said Sarah nodding in agreement.

"You know I'm here for you though right?" asked Damien seriously.

"Yeah," said Sarah quietly drinking her water.

They were both quiet for a while until Sarah suddenly demanded, "Don't you have any beer?"

"Afraid not, I offered up my stockpile for the wake…" said Damien drifting off.

"Oh," said Sarah softly.

"I'm…uh…I'm going to go take a shower," she said getting up.

"Sarah come on-"

She shook her head, "Damien don't…just…_don't_,"

Sarah grabbed a towel and walked out into the hallway.

"Fine, nice talking to you too," muttered Damien.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason groaned as the early morning sunlight shined through the window in his room burning his eyes.

"Wakey wakey hands off snakey," chuckled a voice across the room.

Jason opened his eyes and looked around. He was chained to a hospital bed, and turning his head he saw another hospital bed on the other side of the room, sitting on it was a young man with sandy blonde hair sporting a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and the tooth of some sort of animal dangling from one ear.

"Well hey there roomie, glad to see you decided to wake up sometime this week," said the young man chummily.

"The name's Luke by the way," said the man hopping down from the bed and walking over to Jason.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said extending a hand.

Jason looked at the chains binding his hands to the rails then looked at Luke.

"Oh…right, well _this_ is awkward," said Luke dropping his hand.

"Where the hell am I?" groaned Jason.

"After the Frankensteins beat the living crap out of you, the boys in steel brought you back here for fixing up."

Luke wagged a finger at Jason.

"_Way_ to take a beating by the way…I mean…_stellar_ work…_truly,_" he said, slowly clapping his hands.

"What can I say? They were in a gang," coughed Jason, his mouth was dry.

Luke grinned, "You want a cup of water mate?" he asked walking over to a pitcher and pouring a glass.

"So do you know why I'm chained up?"

Luke cocked his head, "What?...Oh! That! Well it's nothing really; they're just afraid that you're going to Hulk out and murder everyone here. Simple misunderstanding I'm sure," said Luke walking over to Jason's bed with the cup of water.

"Open wide," said Luke pouring the water down Jason's throat.

Jason coughed and spluttered as he drank it down, "Asshole," he choked out, "You could have just given me the cup."

"Yes I could have, but it was more entertaining for me to watch you choke on it," explained Luke placing the cup down.

"You see you and I need to have us a little chat amigo," said Luke hopping onto Jason's bed.

"Sure thing…_go fuck yourself_…nice enough chat for you?" asked Jason conversationally.

"Oh come now Jason let's not make this difficult," replied Luke, smiling coolly.

"How the hell do you know my name?" demanded Jason.

"Oh I know _quite_ a bit about you Mr. Wolfe, or do you prefer to be addressed as "Captain"? Honestly I don't see the point in representing an organization that no longer exists, but hey, it's _your _call," said Luke drumming the rail of the bed with his fingers.

"Who the fuck are you?" growled Jason.

Luke chuckled, "Oh I'm quite well known around these parts, but _that's_ another story, and I wouldn't want us to get off track."

Jason narrowed his eyes, "You got a point to make? Then make it because I'm losing patience,"

Luke chuckled again, "Oh boy we wouldn't _that _now would we?" he said jumping from the bed and spinning to face Jason.

"Let me ask you this Jason, _what_, exactly are you trying to accomplish with all…_this_?" he said gesturing around the room.

Jason simply glared at him.

"Oh, _revenge_ is it?" asked Luke stepping foreword, "Well let's be honest, it's a _little_ late for all that isn't it?"

"Fuck you,"

"_Again_ with the _verbage_, can we not just have a _civil_ conversation?"

Jason flexed his arms snapping the chains around his wrists, "Point of interest, if you're going to chain someone to a bed, at least spring for the _good_ chains."

Luke chuckled again, "Not me who chained you mate; bondage ain't really my scene if you know what I mean."

"You're going to have to take _that_ discussion up with the armor jockeys, but I digress! _Back_ to the conversation at hand!"

"I'm going to kick your ass," replied Jason getting up.

Luke rolled his eyes, "I'm a _bit_ beyond that Jason, but if it would make you feel better, go right ahead and try,"

Jason hopped down from the bed and moved to grab Luke by the collar of his jacket only to have his hands pass right through his body.

Jason jumped back, "Jesus Christ what the _fuck_ are you!"

Luke burst out laughing; "Sorry!" he said waving a hand through the air, "I couldn't resist, but if you could have _seen _your face…ahh…_priceless_." said Luke, smirking.

Luke took note of Jason's defensive stance, "Oh lighten up cupcake you're killing the mood," said Luke waving him off.

Jason's eyes scanned the room for something he could use as a weapon.

Luke just smiled and raised an eyebrow, "Seriously brother, all this gesturing is pointless you _can't_ hurt me of course your welcome to have a go at it, I could always use a good…_tickle_." said Luke still smiling.

"What are you?" demanded Jason.

Luke sighed, "Come on Jason," he said opening his arms, "You're a bright guy, you really can't figure it out?"

Luke waited for a response, when none was forthcoming he tossed his hands into the air.

"Incorporeal, speaks in riddles…looks _awesome_ in white?"

Jason's eyes bulged and he took an involuntary step back.

"And he's got it folks!" shouted Luke clapping his hands together.

Jason was quiet for a moment, "Right…so I _really_ am going insane then."

"Well the line between the sane and the insane is _blurry_ at best; I wouldn't worry yourself overmuch about it."

Jason sat down on the bed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey cheer up!" said Luke happily.

Jason shot him a glare, "Blow me,"

Luke chuckled, "You're just a _real_ charming fellow aren't you?"

"The Powers That Be have taken a serious _shine _to you Jason Wolfe. You aren't just some random asshole Jason; you're a _special_ asshole."

Jason folded his arms, "You are taking entirely too much interest in my asshole"

Luke ignored him.

"You have no idea what you're capable of do you? The strength the speed, you think that's where it ends. You ain't but scratched the fucking surface. You see Jason you have a power, the power to decide the course of humanity. You can either save this species, or…destroy it forever."

"What the fuck are you talking about!" snapped Jason.

Luke cocked his head towards the door, "We're about to be interrupted so I'm going to have to cut this short."

"Not to worry, I'll be paying you a visit again _real_ soon. In the mean time, might I suggest you try pulling your head out of your own ass and realize that there are bigger things at play here than your rather simplistic need to kill people."

Luke turned his head toward the door again, "Later,"

And with that he suddenly vanished.

The door swung open and a beautiful blonde woman Jason felt like he had met before entered the room. The woman looked at Jason, then towards the broken chains on the bed.

"Note to self: When drugging Super Mutants _don't _skimp on the sedatives."

Jason cocked his head, "Have we met?"

"What you don't remember? I'm downright insulted," said the woman folding her arms.

"Don't be, likely you just weren't that good in bed," replied Jason casually.

The woman raised an eyebrow, "_Jokes_ now is it? And just when I thought Super Mutants couldn't _possibly_ get more obnoxious."

Jason smiled, "Did you just call me _super_?"

The woman cracked the barest hint of a smile.

"What do you say we start with introductions?"

"Ladies first," replied Jason.

"Sarah Lyons,"

"Jason Wolfe,"

Sarah smirked, "Well lookie that…_progress_."

Sarah continued, "Now let us move on to the topic of 'what the fuck are you',"

Jason tilted his head, "Something tells me you're _really_ not going to like the answer to that question,"

Sarah raised an eyebrow, "Really? Well what coincidence because something tells _me _that if you don't start talking I'm going to shoot you in the fucking knee caps," she said pulling out a handgun.

Jason smiled, "You know, I'm kind of starting to like you,"

Sarah cocked the gun.

Jason chuckled, "Well okay then, just don't say I didn't warn you."

"Well I guess first off I'm a soldier, not unlike you only the club I belong to is considerably more _high end_ than yours."

Sarah narrowed her eyes, "You're _Enclave?_ Why save my life?"

Jason returned the glare, "I'm _not_ Enclave, although I would very much like to meet the fuckers. As to why I saved your life, it was entirely unintentional I assure you, I was just spoiling for a fight and it looked like the Frankensteins would provide me more of a challenge than a couple of jackasses in rusted out power armor."

Sarah raised an eyebrow; she had struck a nerve apparently.

"I see, and you giving medical attention to one of my people was…_what_…exactly?"

"_What?"_

"Vargas, we have cameras attached to our humvees; I'm in your debt for that he…they _all_ were my responsibility, I'm glad to know that he at least didn't die alone," she said quietly.

Jason suddenly realized she was being sincere, _fan-fucking-tastic, now I can't hate you_ he thought bitterly.

"You're welcome," he replied uncomfortably.

Sarah closed her eyes and shook her head, "Woops a daisy, looks like I got us off track, back to the topic at hand."

Jason stared at her appraisingly, she was able to switch emotions on and off at will, just like him. Human beings aren't born that way, it's a skill they only acquire after having been put through so much shit that their only options are to either learn how to shut out the pain of what they've done and what's been done to them or to quite simply swallow a bullet and hope that makes it all go away.

No regardless of how he might feel about his current situation it was impossible for him to take out his frustration on the woman in front of him, she was in the same fucking boat he was, just of a slightly different make.

Jason suddenly didn't feel like dancing around anymore.

"I'm a Captain in the United States Army; First Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. 200 years ago I was pumped full of a retrovirus designed to rewrite my DNA and chemically alter my body. I was told that the idea was to create an army of super soldiers to end the war with China, something obviously didn't go according to plan, that or I was fed a line of bullshit. After my operation I was put into Cryonic Storage so I really can't say for sure what happened, only that I was sound asleep in a government bunker while my friends and family and everything I fought and bled for was burned to ground around me. Fast forward 200 years to a week ago and I wake up to find that everything and everyone I ever knew is dead and gone and that Washington D.C. is a fucking crater…aren't you glad you wanted to know?"

There was a long uncomfortable silence following that monologue.

Sarah was debating whether or not she should jab the man with a tranquilizer dart and lock him back up.

Jason saw the wary look in her eyes.

"I told you wouldn't like the answer."

"You're fucking _serious_ aren't you?"

"Pretty much yeah,"

"Well, whether or not I believe you isn't really the issue here, I was sent to evaluate whether or not you pose a threat to the people on this base and I don't think you do."

"Come with me and we can see about getting you some clothes…not that you don't know how to _rock_ a hospital robe," she said, her eyes staring rather pointedly.

Jason looked down to find that there was an awkward opening in front of his crotch.

He covered himself up, "You're lucky, I usually charge admission for that sort of view,"

At that Sarah actually laughed, something she didn't think she was physically capable of anymore and once she started she found she couldn't stop it took her over a minute to finally reign it in and when she did she found she was on her knees with Jason staring over her with a bemused expression on his face.

"Sorry," said Sarah standing up and forcing her voice back to normal.

"No problem…" said Jason smirking slightly.

"Yeah, so clothes follow me," she said exiting the room.

Jason walked down the hall with a growing sense of déjà vu it took him a moment to realize where he was but when he finally exited the medical wing and entered the courtyard it hit him.

"What the _fuck_ have you assholes done to the Pentagon!" he demanded angrily.

Jason couldn't even _begin_ to describe the emotions flooding through him right now; this installation was a symbol of the strength and skill of the United States Armed Forces. It was built to be a fortress, a _bastion_, utterly immovable and indestructible, the heart and center of the American War Machine. To see it now like this…well if he needed yet _further_ proof that the world he came from was dead and gone he had it.

Sarah checked over her shoulder to look at him and realized he was genuinely pissed off, and what's more he had called the _Citadel_ the _Pentagon_ the base's original name had faded from public memory countless years ago and there weren't many people left who remembered it outside the Brotherhood and the Enclave.

"When we found this place it was a bombed out wreck, what we did was rebuild it; you'll have to forgive us if we weren't able to restore all the furnishings," she said dryly.

Sarah watched as the man's expression went from furious to utterly blank within two seconds. _Did he just…switch off?_

"You said something about clothes?" the man deadpanned.

Sarah was feeling distinctly uncomfortable, there was something about this man that bugged the living hell out of her but she couldn't place it…_file it away, focus on the task at hand_.

"Right…well let's get moving then," she said resuming her walk.

Sarah entered the barracks and started walking down the hall towards Glade's old room, he and Jason were both about the same size and build so his clothes should fit, _plus I doubt he will be needing them in the foreseeable future_ she thought bitterly.

Sarah passed one of the memorials that had been set up in the halls around the barracks, whenever a knight died heroically in battle a small memorial was placed in the barracks in their honor so that every time their fellow knights walked past it they would remember their sacrifice. This one had been set up almost a year ago to honor one of the dozens of knights who died during the Battle for the Jefferson Memorial. Sarah was tired of looking at it and feeling guilty so she sped up her stride and when she was about to turn the corner she realized that Jason was no longer with her instead he was staring pale faced at the memorial she had just passed.

"Who is this?" he demanded in a low strained voice.

Sarah walked over to him and stared at the person in the photographs on the wall.

_So much for not feeling guilty_, she thought bitterly as suppressed memories came flooding back to her as she stared at the pictures.

She focused on one in particular, the memorialized man along with Dusk and Kodiak sitting on top of a dead Behemoth smoking cigars. She could easily spot him due to the large one oh one stamped across the front of his power armor and the distinctive pack raptor tooth dangling from one ear.

"That's Knight Corporal Luke Dawson but most of the locals around here knew him as the Lone Wanderer…he's dead now."

She didn't add "because of me" she was pretty sure everyone already knew as much.

Sarah turned to look at Jason who looked like he had just had his head dunked in a bucket of ice water.

"Why do you ask?" she said suspiciously

"How sure are you he's dead?" said Jason turning to look into her eyes.

"_Very,"_ she said starting to get pissed off.

"Why do you ask?" she repeated herself.

Jason thought about it for a second, he could always lie, despite generally telling the truth he was very _very_ good at it. It was a skill one picked up after a few years of working with Constantine Chase, who was himself the undisputed master of bullshit. But Jason had only just recently realized that, because you see he had another skill when it came to the truth, Jason _always_ knew when was being lied to, he could see it in a persons eyes and just _know_ whether or not they were telling him the truth…with apparently just the _one_ exception…_Chase_, he looked into his eyes and saw…_nothing_…Jason had assumed that meant he was telling the truth but now he realized it meant something else entirely.

Jason looked into Sarah's eyes, well he wasn't going to _lie _to her for some reason the idea didn't sit well with him, but fuck all if he was about confess to talking to dead people, instead he just said.

"I was curious," that at least was true.

Sarah glared at him; she knew that he was holding something back, but if wasn't going to talk then she doubted she could make him.

"Follow me," she growled.

Sarah opened the door to Glade's old quarters and stopped for a moment to check her surroundings. Glade always did have his own particular style. The walls of the room were covered with posters of 200 year old movies and tropical destinations that Glade had managed to dig out of the rubble semi-intact. It hit her once more that she would never see him again, never roll her eyes at one of his cheap come-ons, never go into a fight knowing that he had her back. The emotions threaten to boil over again but she angrily shuts them down, she would be damned if she was going to start weeping in public like some broken little thing who can't cut it with the big boys anymore…even though nearly half the time that's exactly what she thought she was.

Sarah moved to the footlocker at the foot of the bed and popped it open and tossed Jason a pile of gray and white clothes that were jokingly referred to by the East Coast Brotherhood as Wasteland Fatigues. They were designed to blend into the environment around here and a Kevlar biweave had been stitched into pants and jacket to provide protection against small arms fire. Still it didn't do much against high caliber rifles and energy weapons which is why most knights stopped using them after the Enclave showed up.

"I'll wait outside while you get dressed," and with that she left him alone in the room.

Jason looked down at the clothes in his arms; gray combat boots, long johns, a white hoodie, and some gray pants and a jacket made of cotton canvas and reinforced with Kevlar. It was a get up similar to what soldiers were wearing a few decades before he joined the Army. Tough thermal fabric designed to blend into your environment, only the combat fatigues Jason had scene were more formal and were covered with United States military insignia that way anyone who saw them would know exactly who they were fucking with in case they felt like starting a fight.

Jason threw on the clothes and headed outside to where Sarah was waiting for him.

"I seem recall owning a hover bike, you wouldn't by chance know anything about that would you?" he asked casually.

Sarah narrowed her eyes, "Are you asking if we stole it?"

"Did you?""

"No, we didn't _steal _your little crotch rocket, the Brotherhood of Steel does not _steal_, we did however put it in the motor pool for you, feel free to use it to get the fuck out of my face,"

_What the fuck was it about this guy that set her teeth on edge!_

Jason felt a small jab of guilt; _I think I'm starting to become a bit of an asshole…I need to get away from here, social interaction clearly isn't agreeing with me._

"I'm sorry, that was…a douchey thing to suggest. Thanks for the clothes and for patching me up; we're even as far as I'm concerned."

"…So I guess I'll see ya," he finished uncomfortably

Jason sniffed the air…traces of brake fluid, grease, and petroleum…yep he was pretty sure he knew where the motor pool was. Jason started walking down the hall.

"_Wait,"_ snapped an impatient voice.

Jason looked back over his shoulder.

"You should stay for the wake…you…were part of the battle as well,"

Jason processed that for a second, _is she serious? Never mind it doesn't matter._

"Not happening," he stated, starting forward again.

_What? _She didn't realize it until write then but she was counting on him being there, because if he wasn't that meant…

"Please," she said softly.

Jason turned and looked into her eyes, _oh fuck me __**that**__ was a mistake_; her eyes were so beautiful and sad that saying no was going to make him feel like an even bigger dick than he knew he was, and he wasn't exactly the biggest advocate for Jason Wolfe these days.

"I've seen more funerals more wakes, than you can ever fucking imagine. Tell me have you ever had to look a grieving mother in the eyes and tell them that their only child died a_ hero_…and that their country was actually a _better_ place because of it? I have, more than once, and each time, each fucking time I told those grieving parents how their kids died, I always used the word hero, because telling them the truth meant telling them that they died scared and alone because some piece of shit in the White House, or on the senate floor had decided that their was more to be gained by sending their kids overseas to get cut down by the Chinese, than by actually _talking_ to the people we were trying to kill."

"You know the main benefit of everyone you ever knew or cared about being dead is? You never have to put up with that kind of shit again…so no…_not_ happening,"

Sarah was quiet for a long moment after that.

"You really are telling the truth aren't you?" she whispered.

"I haven't lied to you yet anyway," shrugged Jason

Sarah let that process for a few seconds before turning here eyes back on Jason. If everything he said was true…then she had a question.

"_Why? _Why did you do it?_"_ she demanded.

Jason smiled, _Why did we break the world?_

"Because…war…war never changes…and neither does humanity," he said bitterly.

Jason turned once more to leave but was stopped again.

"Please…_please_ come to the wake,"

"Why the _hell _is it so important to you!" he shouted turning back towards her.

Sarah smiled sadly, "Because if you're there…then maybe just this _one _fucking time everyone's eyes won't be on me."

Jason thought about that for a few seconds then gave a heavy sigh.

"Fuck me."

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason drank the beer, and did his best to ignore the four dozen people staring in his direction. _I must be out of my fucking mind for agreeing to this_, he thought bitterly. So far the only person who had approached him was a large extremely muscular tan man covered in tribal tattoos, he just stared at him for a few seconds, chuckled darkly, then walked away with a look of deep satisfaction on his face. Jason noticed that as the man walked away people gave him just as wide a berth as they gave Jason.

"So I see Gallows finally made a friend, good thing to, I was starting to think he was a bit _unsocial_," said a black skinned man walking up to him.

"People call me Kodiak," he said extending a hand.

Jason shook the hand but made no move to introduce himself.

"Oh the strong silent type is it? Are you a ladies man? I bet you're a ladies man."

Jason gave him a look.

"What with the natural charisma and rugged jaw line you would have to be right?"

"Do you want something?" deadpanned Jason.

Kodiak laughed, "Dusk bet me I couldn't get you to talk, and thanks to you she owes me her Geronimo Jackson holodisk,"

Jason was quiet for a moment.

"You're a man…and you like Geronimo Jackson…I hope I wasn't putting off mixed signals or anything, you're really not my type."

"What's wrong with Geronimo Jackson?" demanded Kodiak.

"Nothing at all and there's nothing wrong with dudes liking other dudes either, but me being a heterosexual I'm not a big fan of listening to either," said Jason walking away.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a pretty Asian woman give a snort of laughter and watched Kodiak fix her with a glare.

Jason walked over to Sarah and whispered into his ear, "You owe me _big_ time for this,"

Sarah just smiled, "Yuuup," she said under her breath.

"Nice speech by the way, I think I remember hearing it somewhere though…you ever hear of a movie called Four Feathers?"

Sarah choked on her beer.

"Yeah I thought you might have," said Jason smirking.

Sarah turned to glare at him, "If you tell—"

"Relax; a good speech is a good speech regardless of where it came from. I'm just interested to know where you saw the movie, it wasn't exactly a mainstream film back in my day so I'm wondering how you came across it."

"My mother found it in the wreckage of Old Hollywood," said Sarah uncomfortably.

"Your mother? Is she here with us?" asked Jason.

Sarah turned to glare at him, "Only in the _existential_ sense," she replied dryly.

Jason couldn't think of anything to say after that.

"Well, it's been…_an experience_, maybe I'll see you around sometime," said Jason smiling.

"Maybe," said Sarah returning the smile

Sarah watched him go, once he was out of sight she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning she saw her father.

"What's up Dad?"

Owyn's eyes darted toward the door the man had just departed from.

"We need to talk Kiddo," he said in a low voice.

* * *

Yes this chapter was _really_ 12,000 words long, I actually had to trim it down for fanfiction to accept it, and some scenes unfortunately got the axe. You may have noticed that the sex scene didn't really leave anyone satisfied and needing to smoke a cigarette? Trust me, the uncut version was MUCH steamier...it's too bad you guys will never see it huh? Oh and yes you may or may not have noticed that I fibbed a little bit about the Lone Wanderer being in the story, well I have a REALLY good reason for that you_ see_...oh wait a second guys I'm getting a call...Wussup you got the Nick Man! Oh you don't say? _Really?_ No way! _No Way!_ He DID not...


	10. Session 10: Interesting Times

Sorry about the delay, these chapters have an annoying habit of getting away from me. Anywho, good news is this chapter is long enough to be considered _four_ chapters so really when you think about it you're coming out ahead =D

Alright, now Fanfiction thought it would be cute to remove the page breaks in every single story I've ever fucking written, so I've had to go through Project Ice Man and replace them all, while I was doing that I decided to tweak the writing a little in the earlier chapters, no plot changes, just less spelling errors and snappier dialogue here and there. Also, I decided to get clever while coming up with a new page break, being the nefarious genius that I am I have turned it into a code, and the first one to break it gets a character named after them. It won't be a cameo role either, I have two totally bad ass characters set aside for both a guy and a girl, but there shall be only one winner, so if you want to get famous you're gonna have to break my diabolical code.

As always you can find this chapter's playlist on my author's page.

* * *

January 30 2278

Kodiak turned to Dusk, "Do _you_ know what the hell is going on?"

Dusk shrugged her shoulders and turned to look at Gallows who was leaning against an ATV with a bored expression on his face.

"What about you Chuckles?"

Gallows either didn't hear her question, or more likely, didn't care.

"_Thanks_ for the input," retorted Dusk tartly.

"The Boss Lady wakes us up in the middle of the night, and tells us to get outfitted for a long term reconnaissance mission; this might just be me, but I take that as an indicator that someplace somewhere the shit has hit the fan in a _serious_ god damn way," stated Kodiak.

"Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring," stated Dusk dryly.

Dusk shifted uncomfortably in her fatigues, "I hate these damn things, one lucky shot with a high caliber rifle and its _lights-fucking-out_."

Kodiak shrugged, "Might not be able to wrestle a super mutant to the ground, but as far as comfort is concerned, it's a bit of an improvement over walking around inside a tin can."

"Yes, because making sure your clothes _breathe_ should so _clearly_ be your first priority in a firefight."

Kodiak looked up in time to see Sarah enter the garage and come storming towards them.

"Here comes our Fearless Leader now, and _dear god_ is she ever pissed," he said smirking slightly.

"Listen up, we've been reassigned from Special Operations, our new mission is to scout a high value target and report back movements and activities to Elder Lyons."

A few seconds of silence greeted that statement, followed by Kodiak picking up a stool and sending it crashing through a window.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? They're axing our unit? _What?_ Because of what happened in _Charlottesville?_ CONTROL SENT US INTO A _GOD DAMN AMBUSH!_"

"Lock down the fucking attitude Greg!" roared Sarah.

Kodiak waved a hand through the air and started to walk away until he felt Dusk's surprisingly strong grip on his shoulder holding him in place.

"I believe what my colleague is trying to say is that we're the best Special Tasks Unit the Brotherhood has ever seen, no offense, but what the _hell _is your Dad thinking?"

Sarah closed her eyes and took a long breath, "Okay, I _welcome_ you to share your opinions with me, _usually _they're moderately intelligent, but the next time _either_ of you speak out against our command structure, well, let's just say _don't _let there be a next time, _understand?_" said Sarah in a low, deadly voice.

Dusk snapped to attention, "Sir Yes Sir! Understand perfectly _sir!_"

Sarah nodded, "Now that we've addressed that lets address the task at hand. This isn't a demotion, this mission is _important_…you'll just have to trust me on that."

Kodiak nodded, "What's our target?"

Everyone heard a dark chuckle, "Take a moment, it'll come to you," said Gallows in a disturbingly pleasant voice.

There was a moment of awkward silence while Kodiak worked out that statement.

"Oh…_great_…we're hunting someone who can _kill us by blinking_…um _why_ are we doing that exactly?"

Sarah opened her mouth then paused for a second, "We…have our reasons."

Kodiak fixed a look of mock surprise to his face, "_Really? _Well, I would just _love_ to hear what they are."

Sarah glared at him, "Well, you _can't_, so get over it."

Kodiak returned the glare, "Dusk, Chuckles, clear out…_now_."

Dusk eyed him warily, "Umm Greg…not so sure that's a good-"

"OUT!" roared Kodiak

Dusk grabbed Gallows by the arm, "Let's go see what they're serving for breakfast."

Gallows shrugged and went along.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, "You _really_ want to do this with me?"

Kodiak glared, "I've had a _long_ 48 hours, and I've done a pretty damn good job of holding it together so far, seeing as how two of my closest friends are now dead, along with all the kids I was supposed to be babysitting…but now…now I guess _fuck it_, start talking Sarah or I'm gone."

"_Three_ words Greg! _Need_-_To_-_Know_!"

Kodiak smirked, "You forgotten I've known you since we were kids? Add to that all the shit we've been through…you _might_ be my superior…and yes, I _might_ have to follow your orders…but don't for one _second_ think you can pull that 'need to know' bullshit on _me._ "

Sarah folded her arms, "Greg I've just had my entire life turned upside down and on its ass in the space of an evening, trust me when I say you _don't need to know_, you don't even _want_ to know."

"What the hells going on Sarah?"

Sarah laughed, "Oh my God, I don't even know where to _begin_ to answer that question. Here's what I _can_ tell you; Jason Wolfe has a connection to my family that goes back a long_ long_ way, and it's in _everyone's _best interests if we keep an eye on him. And I'm sorry Greg but that's all you get to know, like I said, it's something of a _family_ matter.

Kodiak winced, "_Family_…_right_…well you have fun with that then," he said turning to walk away.

Sarah stopped him, "I didn't mean it like that Greg and you _damn_ well know it!"

Kodiak turned to her, "Maybe you've forgotten Sarah, but you and the Old Man are the only family I have left. What affects _you_ affects _me_, you don't want to let me in, don't want to tell me what's going on, fine, just don't expect me to be there when this all goes to hell."

Sarah smiled, "Come on Greg, you and I both know that's _exactly_ where you're going to be, 'family doesn't abandon family, especially when they're walking down a bad road'."

Kodiak folded his arms, "So we're quoting your father now are we? Are you _seriously _that desperate?"

Sarah laughed, "Hell Kodiak, if it gets the job done why not?"

Kodiak shook his head, "So when is Colvin getting here?"

The smile faded from Sarah's face, "He's gone, he…_found_ what he was looking for."

Kodiak gave Sarah a humorless smile, "Man do I ever pity the dumb son of a bitch who gets in that man's way,"

Kodiak shook his head and snorted, "The Grim Reaper sure has been earning his pay check lately hasn't he?"

Sarah smiled, "_May you live in interesting times_," she said softly, quoting the ancient Chinese curse.

Kodiak laughed, "You know there are two more parts to that curse right?"

"I know," said Sarah still smiling.

Kodiak nodded, "Okay then," he said with a sigh, "So who's going to be running the show while we're away?"

"Paladin Tristan is the new acting commander of Citadel Special Forces,"

Kodiak sneered, _"Tristan?_ The man's a fucking psychopath!"

"We all have our faults Greg," said Sarah patiently.

Kodiak crossed his arms, "Yeah well _mine_ don't involve murder, mayhem, and a creepy ass predilection for taking body parts as trophies."

Sarah raised an eyebrow, "And that Behemoth skull you got hanging up in the mess is…_what_…exactly?"

"It's an _awesome _chandelier is what it is; besides the skull of a big ass super mutant is slightly different than building a fucking bed post made of human bones."

Sarah shrugged, "Okay so he's a lunatic, what the hell do you expect _me_ to do about it?"

Kodiak opened his mouth then closed it, "I got nothing," he said somewhat unimpressively.

"Neither do I so how about you practice being quiet for a while."

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:** - **I give you the new page break, good luck figuring it out ;-)**

Jason could hear the crackle of gunfire in the air as he bobbed and weaved his way through the ruins of Washington D.C.; it was here, there, pretty much everywhere. He felt a whiff of nostalgia coming on as he recalled driving down South Central L.A. in an armored Humvee while coked out gang bangers and Chinese insurgents were trying to bring the whole fucking city crashing down on top of him.

He suddenly came to the depressing revelation that those were the good ole days now…he wasn't sure how he felt about that, either laughter or tears would have been an appropriate response instead he just felt…_not a whole lot._ He was starting to notice that a bit more lately, he had made a habit of switching his emotions off and on at will throughout his adult life; he could be the life of the party at one moment and a stone cold killer in the next, but now, now he just felt…_numb_, like he wasn't on or off but rather somwhere in between. It was a new feeling, and Jason didn't like it, but before he knew it the feeling had come and gone.

Back at West Point Jason had taken numerous courses in science and medicine one them being a course in psychology, he scanned his memory and tried to remember what the symptoms of a looming psychotic break were. Jason was self aware enough to recognize that he didn't fully have his shit together, even if he didn't want to admit it to a therapist Jason knew that no man could see the things he had seen and come away from it undamaged, he was starting to wonder if the damage had at long last become to much, maybe he had finally reached a breaking point.

He shook his head and stopped his bike; it was _definitely_ time for a break. Jason pulled out a canteen, while he drank he rechecked his military pip boy, loaded with new maps of the Capital Wasteland Jason could now see the hap hazard roads that had been formed throughout the ruins of DC. The ones colored in blue were the ones the Brotherhood had assured him were secure, the ones in yellow were those that you ran a 50/50 chance of getting your head blown off on, and the ones in red were those controlled by Super Mutants, Raiders, and something called Pack Raptors. There was a whole shitload of red on Jason's map.

"What a _beautiful _day!" shouted a voice from behind.

Jason pulled his side arm and whipped around to see Luke Dawson standing behind him.

"I just _love_ what humanity has done with the place," he said gesturing to the crumbling city around them, "Very _feng shui,_"

Luke eyed the gun in Jason's hand, "What are you gonna do _shoot _me?" asked Luke grinning.

_BANG!_

The bullet entered Luke's temple and blew half his brains out the back of his head. Jason watched as Luke's body crumpled to the ground then looked from his gun and back to the corpse.

"Did _not_ think it would be that easy," said Jason feeling a little disappointed.

Luke's corpse suddenly gave a gasp, "Umm _OUCH!_" roared Luke, bringing a hand up to the massive exit wound in his head.

Jason raised an eyebrow, "And apparently it's not, guess I'll just have to try _harder_ next time won't I?"

"You actually _shot_ me!"

Luke stood up and brought his hand away from the back of his head and flicked off the blood and gray matter, before turning to glare at Jason.

"The _fuck_ is wrong with you? You can't just go around _shooting_ people!"

Jason smirked, "Why not? Can't kill a man _twice _right?"

Luke smiled, "Funny," He waved his hand and Jason's gun went flying out of his grip and into Luke's open palm. Luke pointed the gun at Jason and shot him in the stomach.

_BANG!_

"What the _fuck!_" roared Jason gripping his stomach.

"Yeah, not so fucking hilarious _is_ it, dickhead?"

Luke's body shimmered and the hole in the back of his head disappeared, replaced by healthy utterly unmarked flesh.

"But no worries, I'm over it," said Luke waving a hand dismissively.

Luke examined the gun in his hand and chuckled, "_They_ give you this?" he asked.

Jason opened up his jacket and started digging the bullet out of the Kevlar with a combat knife.

"This used to be _mine_ you know. Good gun too; killed maybe thirty…fifty people with it," said Luke fondly.

He tossed the weapon back to Jason who caught it in one hand and holstered it.

"Use it in good faith" smirked Luke.

"You're _not _Luke Dawson," stated Jason.

Luke raised an eyebrow, "And what makes you say that? Care to educate the rest of the class?"

Jason matched Luke's smirk.

"It was after I saw a photo of the _real _Luke Dawson that I put it together, well…not _immediately_, there was a good 10 seconds where I believed I had a conversation with an actual ghost, but then I remembered…_ghosts don't exist_. Which begs the question…_who and what the fuck are you?_"

Luke winked, "_Clever_ boy, I thought I'd have you drawing circles of salt before you got this far. You have a habit of _exceeding_ expectations Jason; _In fact_ I'm willing to bet you were the apple of your second grade teacher's eye."

"Who are you?" demanded Jason angrily.

Luke frowned, "Luke Dawson…_haven't _we met?"

Jason glared as Luke wagged a finger at him.

"You haven't got as much figured out as you think you do brother. I _am_ Luke Dawson, and so _so_ much more."

Luke waved a hand through the air, "But hey enough about boring old _me,_ let's talk about you. What's going on with _Jason Wolfe?"_

"Oh my life is just a 24/7 party, thanks for asking," replied Jason dryly.

"You thought any about our previous conversation?" asked Luke pleasantly.

"Oh the one where you said I was _destined_ to save humanity?" asked Jason sarcastically.

"Well I didn't actually _say_ that Jason, you see what I _said_ was you had the power to _decide _the course of your species, you can either save them _or _destroy them. Destiny implies you have only one path before you, but _you_, you have options, well…just _two_ options, but at least you get to choose the role you want to play…not many people get that chance brother," said Luke with a sad smile.

"_Wow,"_ said Jason flashing his eyes, "Jason Wolfe: _Chosen One_. I should print business cards."

"Oh _mock _if you will, but you _have_ been chosen Jason, or do you think it's just some _random_ accident that you survived the past 200 years and awoke _here_ and _now_, at the very _twilight_ of humanity. No no Jason, _some_ things have been premeditated by forces _far _beyond your understanding; _you_ my friend are one such thing."

Jason glared, "Okay _say_ I believe you, I _don't_, but say I do. Humanity isn't in danger of extinction, our species is like the humble cockroach, _very fucking hard to exterminate_. We survived a nuclear war and a 200 year Fallout; something tells me we'll be okay in the long term."

Luke narrowed his eyes, "This species will be condemned to oblivion within a year, and that is _not_ an exaggeration brother."

Jason snorted, "Oh and _what_ may I ask is this great looming threat to all humanity?"

Luke smiled, "_All _things in their proper time Jason, right now let's just focus on what you're going to do about the caravan that's being torn to shreds by ravenous beasties not _four_ miles from where you're standing. _Honestly_ even _I_ can hear that shit and I'm a fucking dead man."

Jason quickly cocked his ear to the sky; now that he was searching for it he realized all the gunfire he had been hearing had been echoing off the dilapidated buildings throughout the city, but those echoes originated from _one_ location and along with the gunfire there was also a lot of screaming and snarling on the wind as well.

Luke suddenly vanished and reappeared right next to Jason grabbing him by the collar of his jacket, "You need to _sharpen_ those senses brother, _steel_ your mind, or you'll _never_ survive what's coming, and Jason…I _need_ you to survive…so _pull_ your fucking act together! Or I _swear_ to whatever god you believe in I will _crush_ you like the lowly insect you are!"

Jason shoved him off, "Touch me again and I _will_ find a way to murder your ass,"

Luke smiled, "You got fight in you…I _like_ that, but let us _understand_ one another Jason…_you_ are not the one in charge here, you want to pursue your redundant little revenge? Go right ahead, it's not going to lead anywhere good, but hey, that's for _you_ to figure out, but once it's all over and done with…you and I…we got work to do brother, and I'm going to need you at your _best_."

Jason glared, "Yes, _let_ us understand one another, there is no '_you and I'_, and if you _do_ decide to get in my way, you're right, it _won't_ lead anywhere good, stay the fuck away from me or you will regret having ever _heard _of me."

Luke gave Jason a humorless smile, "You know Jason the Chinese have an ancient curse, well _had_ an ancient curse. There are three parts to it, the first part is _'May you live in interesting times'_ I think we got that pretty much well covered, but the second part, and this is really the part you should be paying attention to is, _'May you come to the attention of those in authority'_…you Jason embody that part of the curse to the point where it's just _plain fucking tragic_."

Jason folded his arms.

"You think I'm the only one who has taken a special interest in you Jason? _Not even close_,"

Luke shook his head, "There are many _many _members of the Jason Wolfe Fan Club, and if you think _I'm_ an asshole, well, wait until you get a load of _them_; trust me brother…in the center of all this messed up shit I am the _only_ one who is on your side."

Luke cocked his head in the direction the gun fire was coming from, "_Now_," he said with a smirk, "Time for some _thrilling_ heroics," and with that he vanished.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

"GET SOME!"

Crow cocked his head to see his brother Bear firing a minigun into the giant feathery lizards trying to tear through the barricade of vehicles they had hastily set up when the attack began. Three of them were ripped to shreds but the rest dashed out of Bear's line of fire faster than Crow could blink. Four of the lizards leaped on top of the cab Bear had been crouching on and began circling the giant of a man while the rest moved to flank the Lone Star Caravan's barricade.

Crow raised his Tesla Rifle and sent a bolt of lightning crackling into the pack raptor nearest his brother, there was a second or two where Crow could actually see the lizard's skeleton while the electricity coursed through its body cooking it from the inside out. Crow quickly slung the rifle on his back while it recharged and pulled his sub machine gun. One of the raptors circling Bear twisted it's feathery head to glare at Crow, unleashing an ear shattering howl it leaped 15 feet through the air and landed right next to him. As it landed it whipped its long, strong tail around and sent it crashing into the side of Crow's face, dislocating his jaw and sending him tumbling off the top of the truck he had been standing on.

Crow landed next to three terrified children who had taken shelter inside the barricade while all the adults fought off the lizards.

Crow looked for his SMG and saw it lying 5 feet away from him, then looked up to see the pack raptor crouching on top of the truck he had just been knocked from. It gave him a murderous glare as it coiled its legs preparing to pounce on him.

Without thinking Crow reached for his pistol but the raptor saw the movement and tensed its muscles, preparing to leap, if it came down to a contest of who was faster that fugly ass lizard was going to win and he knew it.

_Well if this is it, might as well go out with my boots on._

Crow pulled and the raptor leaped and that was when something extremely unexpected happened, when the Raptor was mid way in the air and less than a second away from ripping out Crow's heart, a large beige blur collided with it sending it crashing to the ground _far_ away from Crow and the kids.

Crow looked up to see a 300 pound cat ripping into the pack raptor with teeth and claws as the lizard bled and thrashed on the ground, when it was all over the massive cat raised it's head into the air and released an ear splitting roar. There was a good three second pause in the combat after that as the collective sounds of dozens of hisses and snarls filled the air.

Crow got to his feet, snatched up his SMG and pointed it at the raptor trying to wiggle its way out of Bear's grip, another pack raptor lay bleeding at his brother's feet with a combat knife sticking out of its eye socket.

Crow unleashed a stream of bullets into the giant lizard's spine; the raptor let loose an agonizing scream that was cut short as Bear finally managed to snap the monster's neck. The rest of the pack raptors had drawn off for the moment, but they would be back, and with a new attack plan. The monsters were as smart as humans and had a lust for blood that was just plain damn disturbing.

Crow crouched next to the sand panther which had dropped to the ground panting, the animal's gaze flicked towards Crow for a moment before it closed it eyes and appeared to doze off. When the Lone Star Caravan had taken the old cat in they had been pretty sure that it was on the final stretch of its life, but apparently it still had some fight left in it.

Bear hopped down from the truck and knelt next to his brother, "Good girl," he said running a hand through her fur.

Bear chuckled, "Thank the spirits pack raptors hate sand panthers even _more _than they hate humans, of course that just means if they manage to break us they'll take longer killing us, but you gotta take your blessings where you can get them."

Crow popped his jaw back in place, normally such an act would cause him pass out from pain, but seeing as how he was currently swimming in enough battle stims to kill a large horse he barely felt a tickle, "I never understood why exactly," he said straightening up and assessing the damage to the caravan.

"I know the desert tribes around here use them to hunt the lizards, but what I just saw goes _way_ beyond that shit."

Bear grinned, "Texas is feeling a bit more like home sweet home now isn't it?"

Crow snorted, "It would take half our warriors just to secure the most basic routes through this spirits forsaken city, what the tribal leaders were thinking extending our caravans this far east _I'll_ never know."

"Well ours is not to question only to do," replied Bear dryly.

Crow hopped on top of a truck and shouted to the barricade 100 feet from their position.

"SitRep!" he roared

There was a pause then, "Six casualties and down to our last crate of ammo, they attack us again we're _fucked!"_

Crow cursed; they had already lost 40 of their number since the attacks began last night. He turned to his brother.

"We have to get the fuck out of here, like _ten_ hours ago."

Bear nodded, "Not arguing, but if we move the lizards will tear us to pieces."

"So basically…_not _a good day to be us."

"Is it ever?"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason eyed the carnage from a vantage point on top of a destroyed building. Bodies, mostly human, but also several large bipedal lizards with feathery heads were littered across a collapsed free way ramp, on the shattered ramp were two barricades manned by the remnants of what had obviously been a much larger caravan and somewhere in the shadows hissing and snarling were more lizards ready to pounce.

"_Never_ a dull day," sighed Jason

Jason took stock of his arsenal; a 10mm handgun and a six round homemade automatic shotgun given to him by the Brotherhood, the single shot grenade launcher he had salvaged from Charlottesville, and the assortment of grenades he had taken from the government storage bunker. In the right situation he could dominate the battlefield with such an arsenal…this was _not_ that situation.

Jason gave a dark chuckle "Well _this_ is about to get interesting,"

Jason pocketed as many grenades and shotgun shells as he could, when his pockets couldn't hold anymore he slung the grenade launcher across his back, picked up the shotgun in one hand and proceeded to hop down from his vantage point and move into the middle of road.

Jason pointed the shotgun in the air and fired a round into the sky.

"Attention all oversized feathery headed iguanas!"

The sound of hissing filled the air and Jason could feel dozens of vicious hungry eyes staring into him.

"My name is Jason Wolfe! And I believe you _God's drunken mistake of a creation_ are what the locals _lovingly_ refer to as _Pack Raptors!_ Let me tell you fellas _what_ a fucking pleasure it is to make your acquaintance!"

Jason heard the scampering of claws on rock as the lizards moved in the shadows, he was pretty sure he was nearly surrounded.

_Bastards move quick_

"Now as I understand it the people around here believe you ugly smelly ass animals are actually _intelligent_, that taxes the imagination a bit, but hey, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt on that one!"

More hisses filled the air.

"You are _hardly_ one to speak on matters of intelligence _human_, what sort of prey runs straight into its hunter's mouth?" hissed a voice from the shadows.

Jason chuckled, "Glad to see you finally found your voice there princess; I was starting to think I was going to have to carry the whole damn conversation on my own,"

"This is the last _conversation_ you will ever have, I _suggest_ you make it a good one," said the circling pack raptor.

"Exactly where did an ugly disgusting beast such as yourself learn to speak English?" asked Jason curiously.

"We watch…we _listen_…" was the raptor's hissing reply.

"Yeah? Well _listen_ to this you and your fellow plus sized turkeys have exactly 30 seconds to clear the hell out of here before I decide to add some extra meat to my dinner tonight," stated Jason in a low deadly voice.

Jason felt the wind move and whipped around in time to see a pack raptor come leaping out of the shadows; Jason pointed the shotgun and sent a round into the lizard's head, causing its skull to explode like an overripe melon filled with dynamite.

More lizards leaped out from all directions and came charging at him, Jason spun around and sent a round house kick into the nearest raptor, snapping its neck then aimed his shotgun again and blasted another one into the air. A raptor closed on him from the side and he brought the butt of his shotgun crashing down on top of its head, cracking its skull and sending it crashing to the ground. Four more raptors were a split second from closing on him; Jason pulled his pistol and picked his first target, sending a bullet into the brain of the nearest raptor while the other three scattered and moved to flank him from separate positions. Jason felt heat on the back of his neck and sent a back kick into the chest of the raptor sneaking up behind him, he felt bones snap under the force of his boot.

Jason holstered his pistol and pulled two plasma grenades out of his jacket, triggering the detonators he dropped them to the ground and leaped into the air. The grenades detonated and the shock wave sent Jason crashing into a slab of concrete, turning the crash into a roll Jason bounded to his feet and turned to see the melted remains of half a dozen pack raptors.

"Eww..._gooey_," said Jason loud enough for the remaining lizards to hear him.

The air was filled the sounds of murderous snarls as more than two dozen pack raptors finally emerged from the shadows to surround Jason, _you fuckers just don't know when to give up._

Jason flashed a vicious smile, "You know I _really_ was going to let you _filthy_ bird headed lizards walk away free and clear, but now…_now_ you're gonna have to _work_ for it."

Jason signaled to the men and women watching him with horrified fascination from the barricades, taking the cue they suddenly remembered they had guns in their hands and opened fire into the mass of pack raptors that were now no longer lurking in the shadows but out in the open with big signs hanging around their necks reading "Shoot me! I'm an Asshole!"

The raptors scattered like lightning but not before a dozen of them were felled to ground by bullets, lasers, and weirdly enough a _lightning bolt_.

Jason walked up to the barricade and the cheering crowd jumping up and down on top of their vehicles shouting his name. An enormous _extremely_ well muscled man jumped down from the barricade and came running up to him, before Jason had time to react the man had him in a bone crushing bear hug.

"Yeah, I'm awesome, can you let me go now?" gasped Jason.

The man dropped him and gave him a slap on the shoulder, "Where the hell did you learn to fight like that?"

"You pick shit up along the way," said Jason rubbing his ribs, no way in _hell_ was that man entirely human.

"To Wolf, Champion of the Ancestors!" shouted a man sitting on top of a truck, "We asked the spirits to send us their warrior…AND THEY OBLIGED!" he roared

The rest of the caravan took up the cheer and the man hopped down from the truck and walked over to Jason.

"And on a personal note you have my deepest respect…not many people can survive this gorilla's bear hugs without medical treatment," said the man holding out his hand.

Jason shook the hand, "My name is Crow, Chieftain of the Columbia Commonwealth Lone Star Caravan, and _this_ enormous jackass is my brother Bear."

"I doubt the lizards will give you anymore trouble but if you want to travel with me I'm headed to Rivet City," offered Jason politely, although he hoped they wouldn't take him up on it, he had already lost enough time as it was and he wasn't sure how much longer the package he was carrying would remain viable.

"Sounds like a plan, just give us an hour to pack up," said Crow as he headed back towards the barricade.

"_Terrific!"_ replied Jason through gritted teeth.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Sarah looked through her binoculars at the slow moving caravan as it made its way towards Rivet City, she and her squad were keeping a good half mile between Jason Wolfe and themselves.

"If that dumbass doesn't start keeping his head down the whole damn Wasteland will know his name before the month is out," hissed Sarah in exasperation.

"Why do we care?" asked Dusk.

Sarah turned to address her and found the knight reclining on the hood of one of the buggies they had brought with them.

"Glad to see we're still maintaining military discipline," she commented dryly.

Dusk shrugged, "Just doing my part boss," she said with a yawn.

Sarah shook her head and muttered something under her breath before turning her gaze back to the caravan.

"We _care_ Knight Sergeant because Jason Wolfe is a _very_ valuable commodity, and the more people know about him, the more in demand he gets. _Say_ for instance the Enclave hears about some halfcocked asshole with the ability to tear out a super mutant's throat with his bare hands, _say_ they dispatch special tasks units to _acquire _said asshole. Do you _really_ want to fight off every suicidal bastard in the Wasteland who wants a piece of this guy?"

Dusk thought about it for a second, "Umm _no_, can't say I'm overly fond of that prospect,"

"This is why we need to keep our pet psychotic killer _under the radar_,"

Sarah activated her headset and brought up Kodiak on the radio, "Greg, how many shithead informants do you have in Rivet City?"

"Shithead? _God_ you can hold a grudge; it's been _months_ since one of my contacts sent us into an ambush."

"Having to have part of your nervous system replaced with cybernetics does _funny_ things to ones temperament," replied Sarah dryly.

"Oh don't be such a baby; you only lost motor control in just the _one _hand, God."

"Tell you what Kodiak, how about I jab a fucking knife into your arm and then see how you feel about it in eight months?"

"No thanks, but to answer your question I have roughly _five_ shithead informants in Rivet City, and they're more or less reliable."

"Just _five_?" demanded Sarah incredulously.

"Well Rivet City was never my responsibility Sarah; _Glade_ was the one with a shitload of contacts down there."

The mention of the name sent a fresh flash of pain through her psyche but she ignored it, "I guess five will have to do then. Radio ahead to them and tell them to start spinning the story of how the Lone Star Caravan was saved, I want over 50 different tales before the day is over, and at least _one _of them involving aliens."

Kodiak chuckled, "Will do Boss Lady."

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Bear had been staring at Jason for the better part of an hour as the group slowly made their way towards Rivet City, so had everyone else but _they_ at least had made a show of looking away when Jason locked eyes on them, but Bear never did and frankly that was starting to piss him off.

"I know I'm one _fine_ piece of man candy, but you and me just ain't gonna happen buddy, so if you wouldn't mind, _stop eye raping me,_" snapped Jason.

Bear chuckled, "That's an _interesting_ way of telling someone to fuck off, you mind if I borrow it sometime?"

Jason narrowed his eyes, "Well in order for it to be effective you would actually have to _fuck off_, but _clearly_ you aren't taking the message to heart."

Bear smiled, "You're funny…you also got the whole asshole act down _perfect_,"

Jason gave Bear a dangerous smile, "So I'm _acting_ am I? _Interesting theory_…tell you what…how about I break both your legs, kill your brother, and blow up all your vehicles, and then we can _revisit_ that theory and see if you still think I'm…_acting_."

Bear winked, "Like I said…_perfect_,"

Jason maintained his smile, "I'll kill you to prove you wrong,"

Bear was unphased, "You _really_ don't want people to like you do you?"

Jason pasted a look of mock surprise on his face, "What? You don't _like_ me…well golly jee…I think my _feelings _are hurt"

Bear smiled, "Oh I like you fine Jason, I just don't think you like _yourself _all that much."

"Since when does King Kong give out psychiatric advice, let alone _speak_ for that matter? Any _other_ cunning insights you'd like to share with me Doctor Fucking Moron?"

Bear shrugged, "Just that a man who saves an entire caravan and yet is hell bent on making everyone believe he is the world's biggest asshole…well…seems to me that such a man is _punishing_ himself for something."

Jason shot Bear a murderous glare, "You don't know me, and if I may pass on my _own_ little bit of advice…you _really_ don't want to."

Bear shrugged again, "I know _a lot_ of things I'd probably be better off not knowing, what's one more?"

Jason was seconds from tearing Bear multiple new assholes when he felt something rub against his leg, looking down he saw a massive beige cat keeping pace with his hover bike, its swishing tail batting against his shin as it strutted alongside.

"Where the hell did you come from?" demanded Jason.

The cat tilted its head causing Jason to stare into its old eyes and all the ancient power and cunning that resided within them. The animal stared into Jason's soul with one glance, then apparently not finding anything to hold its interest it yawned and leaped on top of the flat bed driving alongside them, curling up in a ball it fell asleep next to a huddle of kids playing cards.

"Sand Panther," explained Bear, "They're indigenous to the deserts around here and they hunt pack raptors which to me makes them the best damn companions a man can ask for."

"She looks old," commented Jason.

"She's probably going on forty, fifty years," agreed Bear.

"Doubt she'll live to see another season or else we never would have found her out here."

"What?"

"When a sand panther knows its time is up they leave the desert and journey to the coast, don't ask me why, I haven't the faintest fucking idea. The cats are weird like that, but in addition to their weirdness they're damn smart and extremely dangerous, though I've never heard of them attacking a human who wasn't asking for it."

Jason had to wonder where the hell a cat that large and deadly could have evolved from, mountain lions went extinct on the east coast almost a century before Jason was born, that left house cats, and Jason had some trouble swallowing the idea of Fluffy as an enormous furry killing machine.

Jason suddenly grinned as an interesting thought hit him _old cat with less than a year left to live…I think I just found my test subject._

Jason turned to Bear, "How much you want for the fur ball?"

Bear actually laughed out loud at that, "Nobody _owns_ a sand panther, and up to this point I didn't think there was a person stupid enough on the planet to even _think_ about trying to collar one."

"I like to set the bar," replied Jason dryly.

"If a sand panther likes you then it might hang around for a while, if it doesn't it won't, and if it _reall_y doesn't, well...that's _one _cat scratch you'll never recover from."

Jason looked up as a couple of dark blue vertibirds flew overhead.

"Guess we're here," stated Jason.

It wasn't much longer when he began hearing the sounds of heavy construction in the air; judging from the level of noise Jason was willing to bet that this was where most of the raggedy ass machinery he had come across in the wasteland was assembled.

In another two miles Jason got his first view of the Washington Navy Yard in over two centuries. The place was a complete fucking wreck…but a _magnificent_ one.

Moored in the harbor were hundreds upon hundreds of derelict ships, some had been welded together to create artificial islands spanning more than half a mile in diameter, others were slowly cruising through the bay heading north and south; and in the center of all this mess was what was left of the largest most heavily armed ship ever built by human hands. A Super Aircraft Carrier; one of only four ever built. Jason looked for the ship's designation but the letters were too faded for him to make an ID. So he scanned his memory trying to remember which ships were assigned to which fleet; the Atlantic Fleet only had two aircraft carriers, none of them this impressive.

That was when he realized that this ship wasn't anywhere _near_ where it was supposed to be; right before he had been frozen all the Navy's biggest guns were stationed in the Pacific doing everything they could to keep the Chinese fleet from overrunning Australia. No way in hell would the squids let one of their most powerful ships out of their sight at a time when Japan was crawling with Red Army, supply lines to India had been cut off, and the Chinese were occupying most of Malaysia. This ship shouldn't be here.

Jason balled his fists in anger, there was so much, so _fucking_ much that he didn't know about what happened after he was frozen; and it was _twisting_ him up inside because odds were he never _would_ figure any of it out, who dropped the first bomb, how the Chinese managed to penetrate the coastal defense grid, why anyone anywhere thought a nuclear shooting match was a _good_ idea.

He let out a sigh, "Well lookie that, we made it, and without me having to rip out your vocal cords…well the wonders never cease?"

Bear chuckled, "Wish we could offer you some money, as it is we don't have any, and won't until we find a buyer for the shit we're carrying; which isn't going to be easy given the current _financial climate_."

Jason laughed for some reason, he wasn't really sure why.

"Don't worry about it," he said waving him off.

Jason revved his bike and pointed it towards the aircraft carrier.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to everyone?" asked Bear, for once sounding genuinely disappointed.

"Not my thing," replied Jason, driving off

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Jason took note of the countless machine shops, and miniature factories that had been set up on shore and inside the rebuilt buildings a little ways inland. He had to admit that this was one _seriously_ thriving community, even if it _was_ ugly as all hell. As Jason studied it he began to see the intricate system in place here. The aircraft carrier provided power with its twin nuclear reactors, the factories on shore built equipment to sell and trade with other settlements, and the ships that hadn't been welded into islands provided a supply line, ferrying food and equipment up and down the coast. Megaton was a fucking mess, but Rivet City showed a level of organization and technical skill that gave him a bit hope, hope that maybe humanity after centuries of sitting around with its thumb up its ass was once again becoming a real civilization.

As he got closer to the aircraft carrier Jason's attention was drawn to a massive junkyard located about a quarter mile inland, it wasn't the piles of broken down machinery that held his fascination, but rather the enormous six wheeled military vehicle resting in the center of the technology graveyard. He drove his bike up to the old marine recon vehicle and gave it an appraising look, it was yet another piece of highly advanced technology that had clearly seen better days, but if he could get the son of a bitch up and running again there wasn't an obstacle in existence this monster on wheels couldn't jump over or crush under its tires.

"Holy shit!" shouted a voice behind him.

Jason turned and saw a man in greasy coveralls staring at him like he was Santa Claus and Christmas had come early.

"That's a fucking _hover bike_!" said the man in an awestruck voice.

Jason smiled, "Why yes, _yes_ it is. You wouldn't happen to be the owner of this massive shit heap would you?" he asked gesturing around the junk yard.

"John Gunner at your service!" said the man extending an oil covered hand to him.

Jason eyed the hand then stared at the man until he lowered it.

"Jason Wolfe, pleasure to meet you," deadpanned Jason.

"Glad to see you like my bike, it just so happens I may be willing to trade it in for something a little..._flashier_."

"Well you come to the right place buddy what you looking for?" asked the man cheerfully.

Jason grinned, he had a _sense_ for knowing when held all the cards in a negotiation.

"I'll take the Bull Frog, all the materials I will need to get it up an running again, full access to your machine shop, plus there are few…_supplies_ I'm going to need you to buy for me while I'm here, and I'm telling you right now I have a _very _long shopping list."

John Gunner stopped smiling, "Exactly what kind of list are we talking here?"

"Mostly weapons and ammunition, but a few other things as well, I'm a man with a _truly_ abnormal amount of enemies, and when they come calling I like to keep them _entertained_."

Gunner folded his arms and stared at Jason appraisingly, "I have a couple business partners on the aircraft carrier, I'm sure they can take care of your _shopping list_,"

Jason keyed open the hover bikes storage compartment and pulled out his soldiers pack and the bag of caps Wolfgang had given him.

Jason tossed John Gunner the keys to the bike, "Then we have a deal, but if you _fuck_ me…" Jason fixed the man with his _very_ best glare "I will kill you and everyone you ever fucking cared about," he said in a low deadly hiss.

The color drained from John Gunner's face.

Jason slapped the man on the shoulder, "Just some food for thought," he said with a smile.

Jason started walking backwards towards the aircraft carrier and pointed a finger in the shape of a gun at John Gunner, "I'll check back with _you_ later," he winked.

The man gulped then proceeded to busy himself studying the bikes engine.

Jason, satisfied Gunner was sufficiently terrified turned his attention back to the aircraft carrier. In his experience no negotiation ever held unless one of the parties involved felt the other would obliterate them if they went back on their word. Jason climbed up the ramp to super carriers airlock and was stopped by a guard in dark blue combat armor.

"State your name and reason for being here," said the guard in a bored voice.

"Jason Wolfe; I was told you had a bio containment lab here; I'd like to rent it out for a while."

The guard gave an exasperated sigh, "Christ _tell_ me you're not another mad scientist,"

Jason raised an eyebrow, "Do you see me sporting bent glasses and a lab coat?"

The guard gave a dry chuckle, "Fine, we do charge a fee for use of our science facilities but that's not my department, you're gonna have to talk to Doctor Li and ask _real_ nicely, she's not the biggest fan of freelance scientists."

Jason raised an eyebrow, "Good thing I'm not a scientist then,"

The guard suddenly pulled her sub machine gun, but she wasn't aiming it at Jason she was aiming it behind him.

"What the fuck is that!" she yelled

Jason turned and saw the old sand panther walking towards him, eying the guard's weapon with a bored expression.

Jason smiled, "She's with me," he answered the guard.

"That thing is your fucking _pet_?" demanded the guard

Jason grinned, "Don't you know? No one _owns _a sand panther."

The massive cat came to a stop next to Jason.

"Right…_right_…well I'm still going to need a name for my records, and if your kitty cat kills anyone, you're taking the blame...just so we understand each other."

Jason nodded and turned to look at the cat, _a name, so what the hell am I supposed to call you…_

Suddenly he grinned, "Her name is _Kali_, and I'm pretty sure she's house broken so you have nothing to worry about."

"Fine enjoy your stay in Rivet City, and please leave soon." She said waving them in.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Sarah glared at Jason as he disappeared through the airlock; intellectually she knew that none of this was in anyway his fault, but nonetheless she couldn't stop herself from _hating_ the son of a bitch. _If he had never existed_…her mind flashed back to the conversation she had with her father the previous night, the one where he had told her about the _family history_, and about the "great responsibility" that had been entrusted to their bloodline more than 200 years ago. Sarah felt her blood boil just thinking about it and only barely managed to suppress the scream of rage that shot to her throat.

_My Father_, she couldn't quite think of the man in those terms anymore, he was a treacherous deceitful bastard who had lied to her her entire life, everything from why her mother was dead, down to the _real_ reason he had led a Brotherhood army in a two year journey across the shattered remains of the United States, and why he had committed that army to a twenty year long war to secure the obliterated remains of the American capital.

Hundreds upon hundreds of her friends were _dead_…_dead_ because of her father…_dead_ because of Jason Wolfe. They had thought they were fighting to secure a future for their people, that the East Coast held some sort of strategic importance that they just couldn't comprehend, but that Elder Lyons who they had placed their _trust_ in could…they _died_ thinking they gave their lives for the glory of the Brotherhood of Steel…and there was no way in hell to make any of that right.

So she hated Jason Wolfe, she hated her father, and she hated herself because now she was a part of this whole god awful mess.

_Well, I think that's about enough self loathing for one day_

Sarah shook herself out her depression, "Alright game time people!"

"Gallows, he just traded his hover bike in for something, find out what and wire it with a gps locator, and be clever about where you put it. Despite all outward appearances this guy is _not_ a moron."

Gallows nodded and started walking towards the junk yard.

"Kodiak, take Dusk and touch base with your contacts, oh and see what you can do about stirring up some dinner, last I checked there was a restaurant here that makes a decent roast chicken, but I'll leave it up to you."

Kodiak nodded in understanding.

"In other words, you want roast chicken and if I bring back something else you'll cause me pain."

Sarah smiled, "You see little brother this is why you and I make such a great team…you just _get_ me."

Kodiak snorted, "And what are _you_ going to be doing during all this?"

Sarah reached into her pack and pulled out a slinky looking top and low cut shorts.

"You know how us girls love to play dress up," she said dryly.

Dusk grinned, "Paradise Falls?"

Sarah nodded, "Paradise Falls."

Kodiak raised an eyebrow, "If memory serves "Paradise Falls" ended with Gallows strapping some asshole in a pimp suit to the hood of his car and driving through a minefield, while you strangled a guard with a thong and me and Luke made it rain grenades and mortars on the whole damn place."

Dusk sighed nostalgically, "Good times,"

"What's your point?" asked Sarah.

"Just that the Brotherhood has a _highly_ beneficial partnership with these people and strangling them with undergarments might not be the best way to keep that going."

Sarah shrugged, "Good thing I'm not wearing any then,"

Dusk snorted with laughter and Kodiak turned to glare.

"That's not funny!"

Dusk raised an eyebrow grinning, "It was just a joke, sense when are _you_ the overly sensitive type?"

Kodiak shook his head in exasperation, "You try to be serious and look where it gets you," he grumbled walking away.

Sarah gestured for Dusk to follow him, then once they were gone and she was reasonably sure no one was looking she stripped out of her fatigues and into her "disguise", there was a reason why Lyon's Pride had the best track record in the entire Brotherhood of Steel; sometimes it paid to be a little _unorthodox_.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

The inside of the aircraft carrier looked more like a gutted fish than the belly of a leviathan built with the singular purpose of unleashing the gates of hell on anyone stupid or unlucky enough to find themselves on Uncle Sam's shit list. A Super Carrier had 30 decks, ten of which were set aside entirely for planes and marine vehicles, the rest composed crew quarters, engineering, cargo storage, and the combat information center. Without a Chinese Navy, or any navy for that matter there wasn't a whole hell of a lot of reason to set aside prime real estate for planes that couldn't be fueled without petrol helium, and combat vehicles designed to fight an enemy that had been blasted into oblivion. So the denizens of Rivet City in a project that must have taken years had transformed the top ten decks of the aircraft carrier into an enormous bazaar and living area.

As Jason looked around at the many dozens of shops that littered the deck he was standing on he had to admit he was getting more and more impressed with the ingenuity of the people here by the second. He grinned a little, thinking about what some of the Navy squids he had known during the war would say if they could see this old beached whale now. Jason chuckled, sailors were obsessed with keeping their boats clean, orderly, and most of all _lethal_; if they saw the aircraft carrier as it was now they would have an aneurysm.

Jason was flagged down by a handsome man dressed in polished combat armor and carrying a nasty looking plasma rifle. The man stared at him with a calculating eye, giving Jason the strong impression that if he started any trouble on the broken down ship he would get a first hand lesson in just how nasty the plasma rifle the man was shouldering actually was.

"Welcome aboard" he said in a pleasant voice, inclining his head to both Jason and the old sand panther standing beside him.

"Thanks," said Jason equally pleasantly, and with just as much edge in his voice.

The man smiled, "Name's Harkness, you see all the…_charming_…men and women dressed for success and sporting sub machine guns around here?"

"Hard to miss," replied Jason.

"Yeah, they _are_ a dashing bunch aren't they? Well…thing about them is…_they report to me_," he said with a cold smile.

Harkness gave a good natured chuckle, "And God bless them they have such a _deep_ respect for the chain of command. You see if I were to ask them to take those beautifully maintained weapons they're carrying, and say I don't know…point them at someone and pull the trigger…well they'd do it, and without a seconds hesitation."

"And they say you can't find good help nowadays," said Jason dryly.

Harkness waved a hand, "Ah _they're_ just not looking in right places."

"But of course I'd never actually tell one of my people to gun someone down in here," said Harkness reasonably.

"No?"

"Nope," replied the man with a calm smile, "With all the metal around here, I order one of my boys to open fire the chances of a ricochet…_staggering_. No, no, if you cause trouble I'll just have to kill you myself, because while there is a chance, that one of my people, though well trained as they are, might miss…you can trust me when I say _I won't_"

"Guess I'll just have to be _extra_ careful when I go about my mischief then," said Jason with mock seriousness.

Harkness grinned, and in as much time as it took for him to twitch the muscles in his face there was a laser pistol his hand and pointed at Jason's head. Harkness pulled the trigger and Jason smelt burning ozone as a centimeter of hair was singed off his head.

"I would be _extra_ careful regardless, it's a dangerous world we live in," said Harkness holstering his side arm.

Jason brought a hand up to his head and scratched the burnt ends in his hair.

"We about done with the pissing contest, because I would _really_ like to get on with my day," he said in a bored voice.

Harkness raised an eyebrow, "I suppose it would be a _massive_ cliché to tell you I'm keeping my eye on you, right?"

Jason shrugged, "Its only cliché if the message no longer has its intended affect, I will however say that particular expression stopped inspiring fear more than a few centuries ago, but not to worry I grasp the underlying sentiment."

Jason grinned, "But hey, since we're discussing clichés, I suppose it would be a little on the nose to tell _you_ 'looking is free, but touching is going to cost ya,'"

Jason flinched, "Oops…I _think_ I just said it anyway…"

Harkness folded his arms, "You're going to be a pain in my ass aren't you?"

Jason winked, "Like hemorrhoids…_or_…we _could_ give being friendly a shot,"

Jason gazed calculatingly at Harkness, "Nah…lets just go with pain in the ass," he said walking past the man.

Jason turned back, "Science Lab is that way right?" he asked jerking his thumb down a corridor.

Harkness narrowed his eyes.

Jason smirked, "No worries, I can figure it out," he said walking away with the sand panther trotting behind him.

Harkness ran through the data his sensors had collected on the man, judging by muscle density and the light but distinctive stench of FEV if that man decided to take his role of being a pain in the ass to heart the role of Chief of Security was going to get a _hell_ of a lot more interesting.

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Sarah looked around the Muddy Rudder, at the filthy chairs and tables, the drunk off their ass patrons, and the flickering lights that she was just sure masked all sorts _fascinating_ stains and hidden vermin; the sign on the outside claimed the place was the premiere drinking destination in the entirety of Rivet City; she _sincerely _hoped that was an exaggeration. Sarah walked over to the bar and sat down at the booth, signaling for the bartender to pour her a glass of the local whiskey, which actually wasn't too bad, considering it was distilled in an old fuel tank.

Sipping her drink she gazed casually around the bar looking for a suitable target, she had plenty to choose from; the night shift had started an hour ago which naturally meant that almost everyone who had the job guarding the city during day was now working on their third and fourth drinks.

"You must be from Megaton, because baby…you're the bomb!" said a slurred voice sitting down next to her.

Sarah glanced sideways at a young man with slicked back hair and the tattoo of a cobra that started at his neck and ran down his chest.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Seriously? I mean _seriously?_"

The man looked confused, "What?"

Sarah sighed and spared a quick glance at the amber liquid in her glass, _well it's not exactly original Vat 69_, she chucked the contents of her drink into Tattoo Boy's face.

"The fuck is wrong with you!" demanded the man standing up.

Sarah lashed out and grabbed the man's arm, twisting it behind him and forcing him to the ground.

"Okay _two_ points, first and most importantly it's _impolite_ to say _"fuck" _in the presence of a lady,"

"You ain't no –"

Sarah twisted.

"_AHHHH!_ okay okay! What's the second point!"

"The _second _point is that if you hold _any _hopes of being with a girl whose time and attention hasn't been bought and paid for then I _strongly_ suggest you drop the ridiculous come ons, believe it or not, women _don't_ respond well to them,"

Sarah dropped the kid's arm, "And the next time you call me _baby_ you'll be short one testicle."

She signaled the bartender to bring her another drink, "The gentlemen just offered to replace the drink he spilled, _isn't _that sweet of him?" she asked cheerfully.

The bartender held out a hand for caps and the kid after a frightened look at Sarah reached into his jacket and tossed them over.

"Now beat it," she snapped.

Sarah was surprised by how fast the young man was able to reach the door, _he might have a future in the Recon Detachment_, she mused thoughtfully.

Sarah shook her head; recruitment wasn't her department, besides there was too much new blood in the Brotherhood as it was, if they recruited anymore they would have to loosen the training standards.

"So you can't say _fuck_ to a lady? I must say, I find that very disappointing," said an amused voice behind Sarah.

She turned her head to see a pretty blond haired woman standing behind her in a Rivet City Security uniform.

Sarah shrugged, "Well depends on the context, are you using _fuck_ as a verb, noun, or adjective?"

The woman's eyes twinkled, "Oh verb of course,"

Sarah smiled, "Well in that case allow me to buy you a drink,"

The woman pulled up a chair next to Sarah, "Lana," she said extending a hand.

Sarah took the hand and brought it up to her lips, "And a pleasure it is to meet you Lana," she said with a smirk.

Lana laughed and took back her hand, "You know when someone gives you their name the _polite_ thing to do is give them yours back," she said with a grin.

Sarah smiled, "Lean closer and I'll tell you,"

Lana smirked, "I don't think I can trust you to behave if I do,"

Sarah grinned, "Your right...you _can't_,"

Lana raised an eyebrow, "Well in that case…"

She leaned forward and Sarah put her lips next to her ear, "Do you _really_ want to know my name?" Sarah caught Lana's ear between her teeth and she gasped, "Or do you want to do something that requires less _talking_?"

Lana pulled back and smiled, "My room is two decks up,"

Sarah sighed, "Rooms are boring, don't you have anything else for me?"

Lana grinned, "Have you ever seen the surveillance room? It has monitors covering every area of the ship, well…every area but the room itself."

Sarah grinned, "You know I don't think I have, do you think I can get a tour?"

Lana leaned forward and brushed her lips against Sarah's, "Oh I think I can arrange something…"

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

The elderly woman crossed her arms, and gave Jason a look that told him this whole conversation was about to spiral downward, "This is my fucking ship, and _more_ importantly…_this is my fucking ship_. So, either you tell me what you need my bio containment lab for or I stick your ass in the port artillery battery and shoot you out into the ocean."

Jason grinned, he judged this woman to weigh about 90 pounds, but he had a feeling if someone stuck her in a cage match with a trained soldier in T-51b it would be about an even fight.

_Well, I guess there ain't much sense in lying at this point._

"I have with me a cylinder of Forced Evolutionary Virus, its of a very different strain than any you might be familiar with, but nonetheless I thought it _best_ to take certain precautions before I popped the top and started monkeying around with it."

The woman's eyes bulged and she reached for her walkie.

"I wouldn't recommend that," said Jason casually, but with enough force in his voice to stop the woman dead.

The woman, Doctor Li fixed Jason with a furious glare, "The shit you're carrying is not the kind of thing you want to _fuck_ with, if it goes airborne that green goo could wipe out every living thing on the continent. _Believe_ me kid, I know what I'm talking about."

Jason reached into his pack and pulled out the large vial of retro virus; the color drained from the woman's face.

"What's in this cylinder is dangerous I won't argue that, but it's not communicable."

Jason smiled, but there was no humor in the expression, "But your fears are at least _somewhat_ justified what's in this vial will kill anyone who injects themselves with it, well…_most_ anyone. The way it was explained to me this virus rolls together about three dozen fields of science for the purpose bonding itself to every single cell in the body at an almost molecular level; problem _is_ most people's DNA can't withstand the brutal rape required to complete such a task. In fact as far as _I_ know there has only been one person in the entire history of the human race whose genetic cocktail was strong enough to stomach this shit…I _am_ quite the amazing specimen don't you think?"

Doctor Li gazed at Jason with renewed horror, "You're a…_super mutant_?" she whispered.

Jason nodded, "Unlike any you've ever seen. You see back when this ship was more than just a leaky hull, back when we had cities and airplanes and space stations, this _country_ was fighting a losing war against an enemy that outnumbered them _four_ to _one_."

Doctor Li opened her mouth to speak but Jason silenced her with a look, this story was going to be awkward enough for him to rehash as it was…the sheer amount of blood he had on his hands…well…he knew it would do him no particular good to dwell on it, and he would be damned if he was going to repeat himself to this woman even she _did_ remind him a little of his mother.

Jason continued, "Throughout history there has only ever really been _two_ schools of thought concerning how to win a war. Ask any General whose _fought _one and he'll tell you the same thing, in the end it always comes down to _quality_ versus _quantity_…who has the best troops versus who has the _most _troops."

Jason sighed, "The United States has _never_ had the most troops, our strategy has always been that of quality over quantity, let the enemy have the horde, we would use their numbers for target practice. In every war we've ever fought our troops were better trained, better conditioned, and generally just _smarter_ than whatever the enemy had to throw at us. For nearly 300 years the United States military drove every foreign army that has opposed it into the ground. _Fun fact_…we have _never_ lost a war, not _once_ in our entire history, hell_,_ even the one that got us nuked into oblivion was technically a draw."

Jason gave Doctor Li a dark smile, "Do you see our mistake?"

She shrugged, this man might be insane, but whatever his mental state he _clearly_ had some strong opinions about things that happened more than _200 years ago_…and she was starting to get an inkling why.

Jason smirked at the lack of response, "When you're the king of the playground you sometimes lose sight of the fact things change, people adapt, and most importantly there is _always_ someone who is ready and willing to take your place on top of the jungle gym."

"Say what you want about the Chinese but you beat on anyone long enough and eventually they're going to learn _two_ things. It hurts getting your ass kicked and whatever they're doing _clearly_ isn't working for them. After centuries of _quantity_ getting its ass handed to it by _quality_ China learned the same lesson the Persians did 2500 years earlier..._the horde doesn't work_. The army they sent against us in that last war…well we may have still held the quality advantage but at the end of the day…it just wasn't enough."

"Something needed to be done, it wasn't enough for one of our soldiers to be worth two or three of theirs; we needed soldiers worth _ten_ of theirs, a _hundred_ of theirs. We tried all sorts of ridiculous R&D projects; power armor that could rip apart a tank and cost twenty times one to make; robots that could disarm bombs and even fight in place of actual soldiers, bio engineered monstrosities that we could let loose on the Chinese and then pray they didn't come back to bite us in the ass…and then there was _me_."

"I was told I was going to serve as the platform upon which the next generation of American soldier would be modeled…_that_ didn't happen. Its only now, looking back that it's so fucking obvious why it didn't…the military…hell the entire planet…was simply _out of time_."

A strange expression passed over his face, "You know…I had a clearer view of things than…pretty much anyone. I _saw_ the casualty reports I mean the _real_ casualty reports, I knew how far we had been pushed back, and then there was that _look_ in my superiors' eyes..."

Jason narrowed his eyes, "In Canada I once shot a 15 year old kid in the head, he had the _same_ damn look…he also had about thirty pounds of C4 strapped to his chest."

For Doctor Li, the expression that passed over Jason's face right there and then was filled with more pain and raw emotion than she had ever seen in her entire life, she was no stranger to heartache, but looking at him…it actually _hurt_ to look at him.

Jason took control of his expression and straightened out the lines on his face, "I saw all that, and still…_still_ I was surprised when I woke up after a 200 year nap and the whole fucking world was just…_gone_."

Jason held up the cylinder of FEV again, "As long as I live I'll never be able to make any of this right, but I can at least give all those _billions_ of people some small measure of justice, I can give them _that_."

Doctor Li was beyond doubting this man, she had treated people who had delusional disorders, this man was by no means delusional…but she was pretty sure he wasn't all that _sane_ either.

"And how is that," she said pointing at the cylinder, "Going to give them justice,"

Jason smiled, "I'm not a scientist, but then again maybe that's a good thing, you people focus entirely too much on the big picture, and the little things have a tendency to slip through your fingers. The people who…did this to me…ran through every genetic database on the planet looking for the one person whose cells were capable of integrating with this shit," he said shaking the canister.

"Humans are hardly anything special, at least as far as genetics is concerned, we share the bulk of our DNA with every other creature on the planet. So who said it needs to be a _human_ we use this stuff on?"

The sand panther sitting on the floor next to Jason, gave a menacing growl.

Jason grinned, "Relax, I'm not talking about _you_."

"Then what the hell _are_ you talking about?" demanded Doctor Li.

"Well you tell me Doc, what's the simplest organism out there?"

A flash of realization hit her square between the eyes, "That's…an _interesting_ thought."

"If you're right then you're going to help a whole hell of a lot of people, but I don't understand how that's going to help you with your revenge scheme."

Jason narrowed his eyes, "Not revenge…_justice_ and its going to help because right now there's a man plugged into a computer and wasting away in a dark hole somewhere, his body's mostly dead and if I wake him up, well, he wouldn't survive our reunion for more than a few seconds, his death would be quick and painless…and that simply will _not _do."

**:RGFyZSB0byBiZSBBd2Vzb21l:**

Gallows stared out at the night sky, at the hundreds of thousands stars floating above him and reminded himself for the umpteenth time that in the grand scheme of things he was utterly insignificant. For some perverse reason being reminded that his troubles were but mere ripples in the vast ocean of the universe brought him peace. After having spent the majority of his life in the service of an insane tyrant peace was something Gallows deeply valued.

A flash of pain shot through his chest, _plus, from all I hear peace is a good thing for a dying man to have._

Gallows looked down at his campfire and the pot of water he had heating over the flames, it was almost to a boil.

Gallows reached into his pack and pulled out a variety of containers labeled in Cyrillic letters. He didn't actually think anyone was stupid enough to go snooping through his stuff but just in case everything he had in his bag, from his journal, to the labels on his…_heart medicine_…was written in a variety of dead languages.

He opened up each of the containers and threw a pinch of their contents into the boiling water, wrinkling his nose at the odor that immediately wafted up to greet him. It was the sulfur, it left a nasty stench but unfortunately it was essential in the maintenance of a bio-cybernetic heart.

Gallows narrowed his eyes at the distant memory that for a moment sprang to mind. It was a hell of an experience lying beaten and broken on the ground while some asshole brought their boot down on your chest…

Gallows poured the now boiling water into a mug and quickly drank it down, grimacing at the foul taste and scalding liquid.

The pain in his chest began to lessen, but he doubted it would go away entirely. His heart hadn't exactly been in good shape before Charlottesville but whatever the ugly green bastards had hit him with had somehow managed to throw yet _more_ oil on the fire. He wasn't exactly sure how much time he had left but he was damn sure going to make it count. He had crossed an ocean, killed thousands all so he could find the one individual capable of redeeming all the many mistakes he had made throughout his life. Well, Gallows found him, now he would just have to figure out how to make _use_ of him before he died..._again_.

Gallows gaze drifted towards the aircraft carrier, _I spent **fourteen years** looking for that son of a bitch, funny, but I never gave much thought as to how I would get him to cooperate when I found him...I don't think my **usual** methods will have much effect.  
_

"Now here's a man who's deep in thought," said a gruff voice a short distance behind him.

Gallows turned his head and saw a middle aged man in a trench coat standing behind him, the man was staring at Gallows and his face bore the disturbingly calm expression of someone who had seen a lot of death, and had become hardened by it…it was the face of a warrior, and a dangerous one at that.

"Tell me soldier, what are you thinking of?" asked the man stepping closer to Gallows' camp fire.

Gallows narrowed his eyes, "I'm thinking you should move along…_now_."

The man in the trench coat smiled, it had the effect of transforming him from cold hard warrior to care free man who was probably the life of the party wherever he went. Yeah, Gallows _definitely_ hit the mark with that initial assessment…_dangerous._

"Come now, entertain an old man," he said with a grin.

Gallows was liking this conversation less and less, there was something _seriously_ off about this guy, but as a rule he never forced a confrontation unless he was aware of all the variables. He needed more information.

"I was thinking about a dog I had when I was a kid, he had a _habit_ of chasing vehicles around, its not that I'm baffled by the fact that he liked to chase them, he _was_ a fucking dog, but…I never understood _why_, he had to know he hadn't a chance in hell of catching a moving car, and even if he did, what then? _What_ would he have done with it?"

The man sat down next to Gallows and looked towards the ancient aircraft carrier as well.

"You ever hear of the old _Chinese Curse?_ May you live in interesting times, May you come to the attention of those in authority, May you – "

"_Find what you're looking for."_ finished Gallows.

"Yeah, I'm familiar with it."

The man smiled, "I always thought that was just an _eloquent_ way of saying, the world is fucked up, shit doesn't make sense, good is bad, bad is good, and up is down."

Gallows raised an eyebrow, "Your point?"

The man chuckled, "My point, soldier, is that it simply _is what it is_,"

Gallows cocked his head, "Well aren't you the fucking poet?"

The man shrugged and stood up, "Sometimes I suppose. Good talk," he said starting to walk away.

"Wait," said Gallows stopping him, "It's considered bad form not to introduce yourself to someone. I'm Gallows. Who the _fuck_ are you?" he demanded, dropping all civility from his voice.

The man turned back to Gallows with an amused expression on his face, "Constantine Chase," he said with a smirk.

And then as if he thought Gallows wasn't weirded out enough by him already, the man, _Chase_, vanished before his eyes.

**_

* * *

_**The plot of the story is really going to start picking up pace at this point, you're going to start seeing a lot more complexity and a lot more twists and turns. I have a concept for an original novel, which I think is pretty good but before I try writing it I want to improve my skills as a writer, this story seems to me a fantastic way of doing just that. I'm going to be experimenting with my writing style in the coming chapters so feedback will be greatly appreciated**.** Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, I'm going to try to update atleast once a month from now on so you won't have to wait so long for the next one.**  
**


End file.
